Consumer Behavior

Consumers feeling more confident these days, claims study

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April 9, 2021

Consumers, 18 and older, are showing increased confidence with respect to consumer behavior and are ready to pursue normal activities that have been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That's a prime finding of a Nielsen study regarding American consumer sentiment relating to the pandemic as well as consumer behavior.

The survey looked at three segments reflecting attitudes about the pandemic: People who are "Ready to Go," those who "Proceed with Caution" and consumers who "Wait and See" when it comes to resuming normal behavior, according to a press release.

The Ready to Go segment peaked at 61% in the March 2021 survey compared with 34% in April 2020. The more pessimistic group of Wait and See consumers dropped to 9% in March 2021 compared with 29% a year ago.

Other findings include:

• Nearly eight in 10 are getting items delivered that they ordered online compared with seven in 10 before the pandemic.
• Fewer are now getting items they buy in the store (72%) compared with prior to COVID-19 (78%). That said, getting items purchased in-store is the second most frequent way people get the things they buy.
• More are now getting things they buy in new ways such as having items they bought in a store delivered to their home (38%), as well as in-store (38%) and curbside pick up (35%), compared with those who did so prior to the pandemic (15%, 27% and 22% respectively).
• Nearly 3 in 10 consumers expect to do more in-store shopping in the months ahead compared with the 11% who expect to do that less. This is a good sign for the local retail economy in the coming months.
• Consumers expect to do less in-store pick up, less curbside pickup, and less home delivery from local stores in the next year which suggests that fewer restrictions are likely to spark a return to more normal local shopping habits.