Will COVID-19 impact people’s buying habits?

The research, which was conducted in June 2020, shows that people have been more attuned to brands’ actions since the start of the pandemic and say they are more likely to purchase products from brands that they feel have reacted well to the crisis. They are less likely to buy from brands that they feel have taken advantage of the situation or acted insensitively.

Here is a round-up of the key findings: 

• 79% of people asked said that they are likely to favour brands that have behaved well during the crisis, with clear and frequent communication (75%) and getting adapted safety measures in place (62%) cited among the contributory factors

• 80% say that they will be less likely to purchase products or services from companies that they feel have been insensitive or taken advantage of the situation. Over two in five adults (45%) feel that too many brands have tried to take advantage of the situation via their advertising

• Supermarkets dominate the top 10 brands that people have felt most favourable towards during lockdown, with Tesco emerging as the leading brand by a substantial margin (spontaneously mentioned by 15% of respondents), followed by Asda and Morrisons

Log in to download the full research deck below and read the press release here.