Final Project Report On

“A STUDY ON CONSUMER ATTITUDE IN PRODUCT PURCHASING DURING COVID-19

PANDEMIC”

SUBMITTED BY

KARAN PRAMOD SAWANE

ROLL NO: 11038

BATCH: 2020-2022 ACADEMIC YEAR 2020-2022

For the Degree of

THE MASTER OF MANAGEMENT STUDEIS

UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

Under the guidance of

PROF. Dr. RAHUL SHAH

 SIR M. VISVESVARAYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES & RESEARCH

SEWREE – WADALA ESTATE, WADALA, MUMBAI – 400 031

ACADEMIC YEAR 2020 -2022

CERTIFICATE OF THE GUIDE

This is to certify that the project work titled

A STUDY ON CONSUMER ATTITUDE IN PRODUCT PURCHASING DURING

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This project work is original and not submitted earlier for the award of any degree /
diploma or Associate ship of any other University / Institution.

Signature of the Industry Expert Signature of the Internal Guide

Place:

Date:
 DECLARATION

I, KARAN PRAMOD SAWANE studying in the Second year of Master of Management Studies
course in the academic year 2020-2022 at Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Management Studies &
Research, hereby declare that I have completed the project titled, “A STUDY ON CONSUMER
ATTITUDE IN PRODUCT PURCHASING DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC”
as a part of the course requirements of Master In Management Studies under the University
of Mumbai.

I further declare that the information presented in this project is true and original to the best
of my knowledge and it is my own work and wherever I have used the works, writings or
ideas of others I have given proper citation or references at the end of the project.

I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to copy someone else’s work and pretend that it is
one’s own. I am aware that in case of plagiarism the project will not be considered for
evaluation.

Date:

Place: MUMBAI Student’s name –KARAN PRAMOD SAWANE

(i)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been

possible without the kind support and help of many individuals. I

would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them.

I am highly indebted for their guidance and constant supervision as well as for

providing necessary information regarding the project & also for their support in

completing the project. A special mention to Prof. Dr. Rahul Shah my project

guide without her advice and support I would not be assimilated so much and

completion of this project would have a difficult task. I am beholden to industry

and project guide for motivating me to do my project.

Lastly I would like thank to my family and friends who have kept me inspired to

keep going and achieving great success.

Signature of the student

(Karan Pramod Sawane)

(1103)
 Particulars
Sr no.

Introduction of the Project

1.

Introduction, Concept & Significance of the Study

1.1

Objective of the Study

1.2

Scope of the study

1.3

Limitations of the study

1.4

Research Methodology
2.
 Sources of Data
2.1

Data Collection
2.2

Data Analysis and Interpretation

3.

4. Conclusion &Suggestions

Annexure

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the world as we know it.
People are living differently, buying differently and in many ways, thinking
differently. Supply chains have been tested. Retailers are closing doors.
Consumers across the globe are looking at products and brands through a new
lens.

The virus is reshaping the consumer goods industry in real time, rapidly
accelerating long-term underlying trends in the space of mere weeks. Our
research indicates that new habits formed now will endure beyond this crisis,
permanently changing what we value, how and where we shop, and how we live
and work.

Even as this crisis continues to evolve, by exploring the changes that are
happening now, we can consider what consumer goods businesses should do
today to prepare for what’s next.

Consumers are deeply concerned about the impact of COVID-19, both from a
health and economic perspective. People are responding in a variety of ways and
have differing attitudes, behaviors and purchasing habits. People across the globe
are afraid as they strive to adapt to a new normal. Fear is running high as
individuals contemplate what this crisis means for them, but more significantly,
what it means for their families and friends, and society at large.
 Chapter 1

Introduction of the Project

1.1: Introduction, Concept & Significance of the Study

In this, we explore the impact of the outbreak of the epidemic on consumer

behaviour discussing, how epidemic outbreaks impact the consumption and

shopping behaviours of consumers. Consumers, in particular, have significantly

reduced spending on conventional shopping outlets, but have seen a large rise in

spending on e-commerce. The results are especially important in that the reaction

of consumers to the outbreak was due to a psychological element, fear of

contagion, rather than budgetary constraints.

The ongoing lockdown to combat Covid-19 has altered consumers’ purchase

decisions higher spending on health and hygiene products, adapting to limited

product availability, and preferring home deliveries over store visits the current

crisis is affecting the brand and category preferences, shopping behaviour and

spends. In the chaos created by the pandemic, 40% of consumers are stocking up

on kitchen supplies; hence the supermarkets and grocery stores are experiencing

80% spike in-store visits. With 70% of the consumers preferring home-cooked

meals, restaurants have seen a 90% drop in visits. 16% of respondents found

difficulties in sourcing the food and grocery essentials. 39% of consumers are

experiencing issues obtaining hand sanitizers and hand washing supplies. The

survey also has seen a shift in the behaviour of the price-conscious customer now

relying on promising brands and high-quality products in the personal care

category over the price. According to Capgemini research of consumer

sentiment, most of the Indian consumers’ appetite for online shopping is

expected to increase from 46% in the current scenario to 64% over the next six

to nine months in this crisis of Covid-19, even non-essential services/goods

brands must engage with customers by communicating on social media. The

social relationship of customers with the brands always has impacted the

consumer purchase decisions.

1.2: Objective of the Study

1. To understand the recent trends in the consumer behaviour in India, amidst

COVID-19 pandemic.

2. The academic literature focuses on understanding the behaviour of

consumer at the time of pandemic.

1.3: Scope of the study

Demand forecasting

Marketing

Human behavior

1.4 Limitations of the study

The marketers study the behaviour of consumer to mould it in favour of their

product and sometimes make fancy claims and use objectionable techniques.

They also take the help to produce and market such products which have no

utility. In many cases consumers are exploited by sexy or otherwise attractive

advertisements through the media.

They take full advantage of weaknesses of consumers to mould it in their favour

whether it is scheme of exchange, gifts, lotteries or otherwise. All over the world

consumers have been exploited by sales promotion schemes and campaigns. For

instance producers certain producers claim that use of their tooth paste will guard

against germs and cavity.

1.5: Literature Review

In addition, 64 per cent of "marketer-unhappy" CEOs indicated that they had

eliminated essential roles from conventional core marketing functions, including

product creation, pricing and channel management. "... Discussion remains largely

normative, without clear empirical evidence in multiple countries." Studies have

empirically shown that strong marketing departments contribute to superior

business success, irrespective of the general market orientation of the product

further argue that "marketing plays a key role in the implementation and effective

management of market orientation." In other words, consumer-driven conduct in

a organization can be improved when marketing function champions the

customer’s voice internally, and is often also responsible for gathering, analyzing

and communicating internally relevant market, customer and competitor insights

The former study does not cover Asia, and the latter study does not investigate

the impact of the marketing department on firm performance. This difference in

cross-cultural research motivates us to compare the context and implications (i.e.

firm performance) of the Western marketing department (i.e. North America

and Western Europe) with that of the East (i.e. Asia). This comparison could

provide interesting insights, as most Eastern companies, with the exception of a

few such as Singapore Airlines, have been less advanced in their marketing

efforts. Second, we are contributing to a growing body of literature reviewing a

Sustainable Management Practices and Economic Slowdown in India.

Books Textbooks remain as the most important source to find models and

theories related to the research area. Research the most respected authorities in

your selected research area and find the latest editions of books authored by

them. For example, in the area of marketing the most notable authors include

Philip Kotler, Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, Emanuel Rosen and others.
Magazines Industry-specific magazines are usually rich in scholarly articles and

they can be effective sources to learn about the latest trends and developments

in the research area. Reading industry magazines can be the most enjoyable part

of the literature review, assuming that your selected research area represents an

area of your personal and professional interests, which should be the case

anyways.

Newspapers can be referred to as the main source of up-to-date news about the

latest events related to the research area. However, the proportion of the use of

newspapers in literature review is recommended to be less compared to

alternative sources of secondary data such as books and magazines due to the

fact that newspaper articles mainly lack depth of analyses and discussions.

Online articles You can find online versions of all of the above sources. However,

note that the levels of reliability of online articles can be highly compromised

depending on the source due to the high levels of ease with which articles can be

published online. Opinions offered in a wide range of online discussion blogs

cannot be usually used in literature review. Similarly, dissertation assessors are

not keen to appreciate references to a wide range of blogs, unless articles in these

blogs are authored by respected authorities in the research area.

 Chapter 2

Research Methodology

A consumer is a person who identifies a need or desire, makes a purchase and then

disposes of the product in the consumption process. A typical consumer’s utility is

dependent on the consumption of agricultural and industrial goods, services,

housing and wealth . No two of them are the same, as everyone is influenced by

different internal and external factors which form the consumer behaviour.

Consumer behaviour is an important and constant decision-making process of

searching, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services.

The macro consumer behaviour is created by social issues, but to reach the factors

of micro consumer behaviour, individual factors are researched claim consumers

try to maximise their utility, satisfaction, or joy by purchasing consumer goods.

The approaches explaining consumer behaviour are divided into the three groups

psychical-based on the relation between the psyche and behaviour of the consumer;

sociological approach—which is devoted to the reactions of consumers in different

situations or how the behaviour is influenced by various social occasions, social

leaders; and economic approach—grounded on basic knowledge of micro economy

in which consumers define their requirements. Subsequently, the consumer

interests are confronted and traded on the market. After liberalisation in India,

consumer behavioural pattern has been explained by such approaches in the

borderless globalised world, while defeating individual identity and giving rise to

collective identity through brand culture. The intermittent waves of ‘Swadeshi’ and

‘back to basics’ propagated by social leaders like Baba Ramdev or Gandhian

minimalistic lifestyle also emerged as a behavioural approach. The sociological

approach of behaviour is also harvested which is adopted by the affluent class as a

natural wholeness to self-actualisation. Many lower socio-economic rung

consumers too yielded to elitist appeals of material symbols to showcase

themselves in higher rungs under economic approach to consumer behaviour. in

their study explained that people are not the same and not all the people have the

same perception about a situation with negative effects like economic or any other

crisis. In crisis times, new trends in consumer behaviour emerge. The most

important factors which model the consumer’s behaviour in crisis are risk attitude

and risk perception. Risk attitude reflects consumer’s interpretation concerning to

the risk content and how much he or she dislikes the content of that risk. Risk

perception reflects the interpretation of the consumer of the chance of being

exposed to the risk content in his work discussed that these changes in

consumption behaviour arising from an economic crisis may be moderated by

personality characteristics too. These characteristics of personality include

dimensions like the degree to which consumers are risk averse, value conscious

and materialistic. Earlier studies were indicative of behavioural changes among

consumer in times of crises with significant change in utility pattern. A study

conducted by identified few new trends during crisis which include simplification

of demand because of limited offers during crisis which tends to continue post-

crisis where people buy simpler offering with great value. The study also reported

that even the rich people, post-crisis expressed dissatisfaction with excess

consumption and focused on recycle and teach their children simple and traditional

values in their study proved that the impact of the recession on consumer attitudes

and trends is critical. Some trends are advanced by the recession, while others are

slowed or completely arrested. The most central trends in crisis include the demand

for simplicity, which indicates that consumers seek uncomplicated, value-oriented

products and services that simplify their lives and focus on the enactment of a

company where consumers are outraged by the unlawful conduct and unethical

company behaviour. The change in consumer behaviour during crisis times led

authors’ interest to explore consumer behaviour during COVID-19.

This pandemic has a serious impact on the economies of the nation hinting towards

change in market dynamics in her report on ‘Market Trends and D2C

Opportunities in the COVID-19’ observed trends such as from people raiding

grocery store walkways to the cancellation of the world’s most significant events

and mandates for ‘non-essential’ businesses to be temporarily closed to prevent

spread of infection. During the pandemic, people are spending less of their income

on items perceived as nice-to-have or non-essential (such as clothing, shoes, make-

up, jewellery, games and electronics). Globally too, during COVID-19, the

developed nations are shifting towards steady state purchasing post-stock piling as

per iRi POS data (2020). The report also stated edible products are expected to

have an increased demand and non-edible products shall have a moderate need

globally, thereby decreased demand which includes homecare, cosmetics and

personal care products. A survey on Indian consumer sentiments during corona

virus crisis was carried out by McKinney from 1–4 May 2020. The result indicated

that 76 per cent of consumer out of the sample strongly agreed to spend their

money carefully and cut back on their purchase.

2.1: Sources of Data

Primary data is a type of data that is collected by researchers directly from main

sources through interviews, surveys, experiments, etc. Primary data are usually

collected from the source—where the data originally originates from and are

regarded as the best kind of data in research.

The sources of primary data are usually chosen and tailored specifically to meet the

demands or requirements of a particular research. Also, before choosing a data

collection source, things like the aim of the research and target population need to

be identified.

For example, when doing a market survey, the goal of the survey and the sample

population need to be identified first. This is what will determine what data

collection source will be most suitable—an offline survey will be more suitable for

a population living in remote areas without internet connection compared to online

surveys.

Secondary data is the data that has already been collected through primary sources

and made readily available for researchers to use for their own research. It is a type

of data that has already been collected in the past.

A researcher may have collected the data for a particular project, then made it

available to be used by another researcher. The data may also have been collected

for general use with no specific research purpose like in the case of the national

census.

A data classified as secondary for a particular research may be said to be primary

for another research. This is the case when a data is being reused, making it
a primary data for the first research and secondary data for the second research it is

being used for.

2.2: Data Collection

Government Records

Government records are a very important and authentic source of secondary

data. They contain information useful in marketing, management, humanities,

and social science research.

Some of these records include; census data, health records, education institute

records, etc. They are usually collected to aid proper planning, allocation of funds,

and prioritizing of projects.

A questionnaire is a research instrument that consists of a set of questions or other

types of prompts that aims to collect information from a respondent. A research

questionnaire is typically a mix of close-ended questions and open-ended

questions. Open-ended, long-form questions offer the respondent the ability to

 elaborate on their thoughts. Research questionnaires were developed in 1838 by

the Statistical Society of London.

The data collected from a data collection questionnaire can be both qualitative as

well as quantitative in nature. A questionnaire may or may not be delivered in the

form of a survey, but a survey always consists of a questionnaire.

Advantages of a well-designed questionnaire

• With a survey questionnaire, you can gather a lot of data in less time.

• There is less chance of any bias creeping if you have a standard set of questions

to be used to your target audience. You can apply logic to questions based on

the respondents’ answers, but the questionnaire will remain standard for a

group of respondents that fall in the same segment.

• Surveying online survey software is quick and cost-effective. It offers you a rich

set of features to design, distribute, and analyze the response data.

• It can be customized to reflect your brand voice. Thus, it can be used to

reinforce your brand image.

• The responses can be compared with the historical data and understand the

shift in respondents’ choices and experiences.

• Respondents can answer the questionnaire without revealing their identity.

Also, much survey software complies with significant data security and privacy

regulations.

41 to 50

31 to 40

age group
23 to 30

18 to 22

0.00% 50.00% 100.00% 150.00% 200.00% 250.00% 300.00%

 income group
10k to 20k 21k to 30k 31k to 40k 41k to 50k student

3%
6%

28%

3%

60%

Interpretation:
28% of people are in 10k to 20k salary groups, 3% of people in 21k to 30k salary
groups, 60% of people are in 31k to 40k salary groups, 3% of people are in 41k
to 50k salary groups, 28% people amount them are student.
 consumer preference
online shopping daily bazar mails other

7%

27%

53%

13%

Interpretation:
53% prefer online shopping during pandemic, 13% prefer daily bazaar,
27% prefer mails, and only 7% of people prefer other mode of shopping
during pandemic.
 Before the current situation, how often did
you buy your product or service?
weekly monthly once in 2 months

21%
29%

50%

Interpretation:
21% of people visit markets weekly, 50% of people visit market monthly,
and 29% of people visit market on once in 2 months basis.
 How often do you think you will buy your
product or service now?
once in a week once in a month once in 2 months

7%
21%

72%

Interpretation:
21% of people who responded the questionnaire were visiting once in a
week to the market, 72% of people visit once in a month to the market,
and only 7% on people visit once in 2 months to the market.
 Chapter 3

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Through critical analysis of several crises, we find that the results do in fact

suggest that the consumer behaviors experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic

were highly comparable to those experienced during previous crises and shock

events. As would be expected, the pandemic resulted in a steep decline in retail

consumption. During March and April, the US saw a drop in total retail sales of

8.3% and 16.4% respectively (Trading Economics 2020a), with the obvious cause

for much of this decline in spending being the closure of many stores as a result of

government-enforced containment measures. We acknowledge that as these

months occurred during the initial global rise in the pandemic, and although total

retail spending fell, there were certainly specific segments which outperformed

pre-pandemic months. Hence, it is difficult to attribute the decline in

consumption directly to a lack of consumer confidence or the simple inability to

physically purchase goods in the traditional store experience. One major impact

of panic buying during the period was price inflation due to supply shortages and

opportunistic behavior. Sudden increases in demand for particular products,

driven by panic buying and a rise in herd mentality, resulted in households

increasing their own individual demand for certain products, the most

straightforward factor causing price inflation due to shortages. Opportunistic

behaviors have presented in two key ways during the COVID-19 period. First,

there are reports of individuals purchasing excessive volumes of non-discretionary

household items which had seen large increases in demand, and reselling them at

inflated prices in countries including Australia Moreover, price inflation was

exacerbated by organizations and suppliers, J. Risk Financial Manage. Who were

reported to have increased prices of both raw materials and final goods to

capitalize on the pandemic? Medical supplies saw some of the largest price surges

due to their obvious need in fighting corona virus, where Le Grand (2020)

reported an increase in medical gown prices from USD $1.65 to $5.50 and boxes

of alcohol swabs from USD$50 to 99. Limits were put in place by retail suppliers in

an attempt to reduce price inflation and limit panic-buying behaviors surrounding

“essential” items. For example, Australian supermarket giants Woolworths and

Coles set limits on items including toilet paper, mince meat, eggs, milk, pasta,

flour, long-life milk and liquid soap (Swain 2020). However, often these policies

often had the opposite effect, as the sudden portrayal of supply shortages

increased public fear and resulted in highly irrational herd behavior. This
depiction of panic and limited supplies could perhaps be concluded to have been

intensified through portrayal in the media. Interestingly however, not all irregular

consumer patterns seen in times of crises can be described as irrational. The

Hurricane Irma crisis saw demand for hardware products aimed at preventing

hurricane damage significantly increased. Elmore (2017) reported that building

supply sales increased 66.7% in the West Palm Beach region in the immediate

lead up to the event. Although overall consumption decreased considerably

during both Hurricane Irma and the current pandemic (Trading Economics 2020b),

both crises saw a large surge in demand for non-discretionary goods, where a

surge in demand for medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic has stark

similarities to the increase in demand for building supplies during Hurricane Irma.

Interestingly, the mass purchase of these necessary, non-discretionary goods in

both crises is an example of rational panic buying, where it is logical for

consumers to purchase more of these goods than what would normally be

bought; in stark contrast to the irrational mass hoarding of goods in the current

crisis. Consumer behavior literature and neuron economic analysis highlight that

social context is a major driver of consumer decisions (Jeffrey and Putman 2013;

Brooks et al. 2012; Zhang et al. 2014). When presented with a situation in which

foresight is limited and information is ambiguous, consumers panic and look to

their peers for behavioral guidance (Brooks et al. 2012). Our results are consistent

with previous crises, where herd mentality is a consequence of social context,

fear of scarcity, and loss of control over one’s surroundings, inducing hoarding

and preparation activities as a coping mechanism. Increased hoarding activities

and the exhibition of herd mentality behaviors are consistent with previous crises,

as at the first signs of disaster, it is common to see the hoarding of goods

considered important, such as toilet paper (Kaigo 2012). Increased consumer

purchases of specific consumer goods, our independent variable for Hypothesis 2,

which causes increased temporary product shortages likely induced perceptions

of product scarcity surrounding consumer goods, contributing to the onset of

herd mentality (Hypothesis 3). Psychological reactance theory notes that product

scarcity can be experienced by consumers as a loss of control, thus increasing its

perceived necessity (Clee and Wicklund 1980). In this context, possessions

provide a sense of security (Frost and Hartl 1996). A study by consulting firm NC

Solutions, found that US toilet paper purchases rose 51% between February 24

and March 10, 2020; however, following lockdown announcements by various

states, sales rose 845% between 11–12 March (NC Solutions 2020a). On 12

March, US consumers increased spending on household consumer packaged

goods by 55%, nearly doubling their purchases on the week prior (NC Solutions
2020b). Hoarding activities increased from 11–21 March, where average

household spending increased by 35% compared to pre-COVID-19 purchase levels

(NC Solutions 2020c). In Australia, this was reflected in consumer spending on

groceries and toiletries; where in the week ending 20 March 2020, spending had

increased 80% from the same period in the year before.

Furthermore, our results indicate that businesses may leverage herd mentality

behaviors as business opportunities. Over 130 Australian companies volunteered

their resources or production facilities to produce personal protective equipment

(PPE) including medical-grade masks and gowns (Knaus 2020), and globally with

firms including Gap, H&M, Nike, Prada and Zara doing the same (Accardi 2020). In

line with previous periods of crisis, consumer behavior during the COVID-19

period has demonstrated a shift in consumption of basic needs and non-durable

items, prioritizing the base layer of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In May 2020,

Australia’s unemployment rate spiked to 6.2% as 600,000 jobs were lost, and the

economy shifted towards a recession (Murphy 2020). ANZ reported a fall in

consumer sentiment of 27.8% in March 2020, a level 17% below the trough

reached in October 2008 during the GFC (Wright 2020). As uncertainty rises,

individual wage growth falls and spending is prioritized towards basic needs.

During this period, non-durable goods, as an indicator of a basic household

priority, saw essential stores such Woolworths increase revenue by 10.7% to 16.5

billion in the March 2020 quarter (Anderson 2020). Over the same period, the

Australian Food Business, including all supermarkets, saw total sales increase by

11.3% to USD 11.2 billion, peaking in the final week of March with growth over

40% year on year (Anderson 2020). This shift in consumer behavior is in line with

previous periods of economic crisis and demonstrates how consumers move to

satisfy their basic needs first. Comparatively, Amazon reported “durable” goods

during this same period experienced the greatest decline, as online sales luggage

(−77%), briefcases (−77%) and cameras (−64%) all plummeting (Jones 2020). Here,

we see the trade-off between durable and non-durable (and perhaps luxury)

goods and how Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs predicts this consumer behavior

during a period of economic downturn.

 Chapter 4

Conclusion &Suggestions

The lockdown and social distancing to combat the covid-19 virus has generated

significant disruptions on consumer behaviour. All consumption is time bound and

location bound. With time flexibility but location rigidity, consumers have learned

to improvise in creative and innovative ways. The work-life boundaries are now

blurred as people work at home, study at home, and relax at home. Since the

consumer is unable to go to the store, the store has to come to the consumer.

As consumers adapt to the house arrest for a prolonged period of time, they are

likely to adopt newer technologies which facilitate work, study and consumption in

a more convenient manner. Embracing digital technology is likely to modify

existing habits. Finally, public policy will also impose new consumption habits

especially in public places such as airports, concerts, and public parks.

Sale of Hand sanitizer saw a tremendous growth of 1425% through e-commerce

websites and 144% through a neighbourhood store

• Face masks and Hand wash saw a growth of 408% and 86% respectively

• There’s a sharp increase in the Indulgence Food category with Cooking oil sales
jumped to 106%, soft drinks 68%, branded pulses 72% and Salty Snacks 84%

• With renewed hygiene drive due to doctor’s recommendation and spreading

awareness of pathogens, a jump in personal care and house cleaning categories can

also be witnessed with toilet cleaners and antiseptics increased to 77% and 39%

respectively

• Interestingly, female contraceptive and condom sales have gone through the roof.

Many retailers have seen a surge of nearly 25% to 50% in the last one week. One

of the largest porn sites in the world, Porn hub has shared that its worldwide traffic

to the site has increased by 11.6%.

• Raw turmeric export to Europe and West Asia have shot up because its medicinal

properties are getting renewed attention at the time when the corona virus is

spreading rapidly

• Demands for laptops in India have surged by 40-45% in the last seven days

mirroring a trend in the US and other parts of the world

• There’s an increase in the demand for online courses. Topper is already seeing an

increase of 100% enrolment in their live classes. Enquiries at Upgrade have gone

up by 50%. BYJU’s one of the leading players in the industry has also saw a

growth of 60% in its user base.

• Online fitness apps like cult.fit, FITTR, Sarva have seen a high jump in their app

downloads for online workouts. Yoga being their top search when looking for
workouts followed by other popular routines like calisthenics, aerobics, Hollywood

dance, and others.

• As a follow-up effect, the decision to include COVID-19 in existing policies has

led to an increase in inquiries for health policies, which will be positive for the

health insurance industry with more people buying policies in the current scenario.

4.1: Suggestions

COVID-19 has changed life as we know it – and as we do everything, we can to

keep each other safe, our routines have radically changed. The required steps to

control the pandemic have affected the global economy and altered consumer

preferences, behaviours and purchasing behaviour. This has resulted in new

problems for supply chains, distribution, retail stores, and workers (Google, 2020).

Google has seen businesses around the globe – including our own – adapt to

these new realities. Although these are extraordinary times, we have seen

companies begin to think about the road to economic recovery in three phases –

reacting, repairing, and reframing – each with distinct goals. Businesses, industry

verticals and markets are affected differently at each stage – with some

shifting speed than others – but we’ve observed that the vast majority

remain focused on responding (Google, 2020).

Implement marketing lessons from the crisis to your long-term business

strategy to drive sustainable growth. The nature of this crisis requires us to move

beyond business as usual. This could be an incentive for marketers to try out new

tactics, think outside the box, and re-invent the way we communicate with

consumers. And when we get through this, the creative and caring

solutions we have put in place have the potential to get us closer to our

consumers and communities.

Some of the other suggestions are (Delloitte, 2020):

Be true to your brand and to your intent. In times like these, every interaction

with your customers and partners is an opportunity to demonstrate what your

company is all about and to be true to your brand and your intent. People pay

attention to how organizations respond, and purpose-based businesses that

display compassion are likely to emerge as leaders. For example, the famous

US-based retailer has just implemented a new sick leave policy that allows all

staff, both full-time and part-time, to work from home with pay. Another

example is how airlines shared their recommendations on cabin sanitization and

the use of state-of-the-art HEPA filters with a viral and bacterial elimination

efficiency of 99.99 per cent. These filters have been in use long before the current
crisis, but it was a good time to inform customers about the sanitation measures

that airlines have already had in place to help create trust and confidence.

Communicate to your clients. Stay in touch with your customers. Let them know

how much you love and care for them even if they're buying fewer goods and

services from you. This should be seen as concept in your ads too. Know that all of

your clients have friends, too, so that what you share will reach an even wider

audience. In addition, working even more closely with your

customers in tough times like this would have the added benefit of helping to

build deeper Partnerships and create bonds that are likely to last for years.

Find new ways to communicate with your customers. Travel and in-person

meetings are a huge concern for employees' minds. In view of the fact that sales

and support companies are often the biggest travellers, the travel plans should be

focused on risk reduction for affected areas. It is first and foremost training the

workers who need to fly on ways to reduce the spread of the virus. This is also

likely that COVID-19 will have a profound effect on how businesses work even

after the crisis has ended. Consumers are likely to choose to work from home

more, so businesses would have to step up switching to remote jobs. Educational

institutions will also enhance their online Sustainable Management Practices and
Economic Slowdown in India, June 2020 teaching and collaboration platforms. As

the world joins hands to combat the current crisis of

COVID-19, companies are concerned with consumer optimism. The two pillars of

consumer Loyalty and confidence are being put to the test. Although it is hoped

that this is a temporary case, there is a high degree of anxiety and people are

scared. This global crisis is really about the moments of the consumer that matter.

In putting the needs of your customers first, this could be a time for the brand of

your business to lead. Even if you may be making a short-term effect on your

bottom line, placing flexible discounts, pricing, and policy adjustments in place,

and finding other ways to support your customers through this crisis, would be

beneficial to your company's long-term health.

 Chapter 5

Learning Experience from the project

Temporary or permanent?

Will these changes in behaviour last after COVID-19 subsides, or will consumers'

old habits die hard? Behavioural studies and past events can offer answers.

All consumer behaviour has strong location and time dependencies. Behaviour can

differ significantly from one location to another depending on cultures,

geographies, etc. The pandemic is making this dimension of consumer behaviour

more complex; for example, since physical movement is restricted, consumers are

migrating into virtual worlds at an unprecedented rate and are exposed to newer

influences. This could require us to go beyond traditional methods of modelling

their behaviour.

Behaviour and habit changes are also directly linked to the extent of exposure to

new environments. Research shows that it can take between 18 and 254 days to

form a new habit; on average it takes about 66 days. 2 People more quickly adopt
habits that do not significantly change existing routines. Today, consumers are

settling into new patterns of behaviour for considerable lengths of time in response

to the multiple waves of this pandemic. This is fertile ground for new habit

formation.

Increased use of digital tools is blurring the lines between work, lifestyle and

social interaction and between domains like mobility, health and finance. We

expect this to continue in the post-COVID-19 world

Annexure
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