Consumer Behavior

Pandemic ebbing but consumer behavior not changing much, reveals survey

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June 4, 2021

While the fear of COVID-19 is no longer looming as a huge concern for retail shoppers, consumers aren't changing spend or shopping behavior in response.

That's a prime finding of a First Insight report on the state of consumer activity in the post-pandemic time-frame.

In fact, six in 10 consumers expect to cut back on spending from pre-pandemic levels, suggesting consumer spending habits may be undergoing a long-term shift, according to a press release on the survey findings.

"Retailers may be encouraged by the green shoots they are seeing now that many places are reopening, but it would be foolish of them to assume that everything will magically revert to the way things were in 2019 or early 2020," Greg Petro, First Insight CEO, said in the release. "More than a year after we began this study, our findings show that consumers are still very much concerned about how the pandemic is affecting their personal finances and overall feelings of safety while shopping."