Survey: How consumers shopped in the middle of COVID-19
What are shoppers buying during COVID-19 and how are they shopping — a new survey found shoppers are still looking for the best deal they can, despite shopping under new circumstances, and are doing more meal planning, buying more online, and staying loyal to their preferred brands.
Store Brands’ parent company EnsembleIQ and the Path to Purchase Institute, surveyed more than 1,000 household grocery shoppers in the United States, from March 13-15 to gauge shopping behavior and attitudes during the COVID-19 crisis.
Per the results, 44% of the shoppers were stocking up on household essentials (cleaning supplies, medications, personal care items and food) to be prepared for the widespread shutdown. Nearly a third said they were buying “whatever is on sale/lowest price,” which benefits store brands during the pandemic shopping.
Not surprisingly, especially with “shelter in place” initiatives being enforced in some regions of the country, online food ordering has seen a rise. During those two days surveyed, more than 20% said they were ordering online for the first time.
Another interesting find in the survey is why shoppers might switch stores while shopping during the pandemic. The obvious reason, nearly 60% switch stores for product availability, likely trying to find toilet paper. However, 34% said they visited a different store to find a brand they preferred, highlighting some product loyalty during desperate times.
More survey results and analysis can be found in this article at sister publication Path to Purchase IQ.
