Consumer Behavior

Consumers not changing shopping habits in post-pandemic retail

Photo by istock.com

August 26, 2021

More than three-quarters, 85.9%, of consumers plan to continue shopping as they had during the COVID-19 pandemic year despite the fact more retail stores are open in the post-pandemic retail environment.

In fact, just about 28% expect to shop even more online this holiday season, according to a Qubit survey that polled 1,500 U.S. and U.K. consumers in July, according to a press release.

"While 2020 was record-breaking for online shopping, we are seeing that global circumstances have espoused persistent changes in shopper behavior," Tracey Ryan O'Connor, chief revenue officer at Qubit, said in the release. "Many consumers have grown accustomed to shopping online. This is extremely important for brands to be aware of as they begin planning for the 2021 holiday season, which may outpace 2020's gains online considerably. To fully leverage the growth in ecommerce, retailers must factor in how consumers shop to meet customer expectations on the experiences they deliver, ensuring they're aligned with current shopping trends."

Additional survey findings include:

• 70.7% of U.S. and U.K. shoppers have increased their online shopping frequency as compared to before the pandemic.
• When asked whether respondents were planning to continue to shop online in specific categories, the standouts were: fashion (64.1%) and consumer electronics (63%). Nearly half of respondents also plan to continue shopping online for groceries, home and garden, and beauty (49.3%, 48.9%, and 47%, respectively).
• Eight in 10 shoppers reported loyalty to their top two to three brands either stayed the same or increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet 31.4% now shop with more brands overall than before the pandemic.
• 54.9% said that they typically need more convincing to make a purchase online than they do when they are in-store.