Consumer Behavior

Pandemic habits still in play with consumers

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May 3, 2023

Consumer habits adopted during the two-year COVID-19 pandemic remain in play as 68% of consumers are shopping more online due to delivery speed and flexibility serving as the top factor driving where the consumer shops.

Those are top findings from a Salsify report that polled more than 6,000 consumers in the U.S., France, Germany, Great Britain and Australia.

Despite economic concerns, product quality is more important to consumers this year than discounts, with 81% stating quality is the number one reason that keeps them loyal to a brand, according to a press release on the findings.

"The pressure is on this year as consumers become much more selective about their purchases. While price is a key factor in purchasing decisions, it's not the only thing that is swaying these careful consumers," Cara Wood, head of research at Salsify, said in the release. "Product quality is under much greater scrutiny, and more than half of consumers said they wouldn't buy a product with bad product content that doesn't include enough information or includes low quality images. In fact, strong product content is so important that shoppers are more likely to purchase products from unfamiliar brands or those with bad reputations than those with missing or bad information."