How has consumer behaviour changed due to covid19?

How is this going to impact

marketing in the future? (A case study of the Nigerian Fashion Industry)

1. Introduction

The 21st century has marked a major milestone in the fashion industry in Nigeria. With the
extension of the fashion industry into the ecommerce sector. Accessibility and patronage of
fashion products have been on the rise particularly with the use of social media and other
electronic platforms for advertising, purchase and customer service. In spite of this boom in the
fashion industry, the outbreak COVID-19 disrupted consumer behaviour and patronage for all
products and services due to the public health burden and economic loss owing to job loss of a
great percentage of people in Nigeria (Hensher, 2020). Due to this most social and economic
aspects of consumers were negatively affected by the disease surveillance and prevention
strategies adopted by the Nigerian government such as self-isolation and social lockdown
(Chriscaden, 2020; Witteveen, 2020).

Consequently, the control strategies adopted by the Nigerian government created fear among its
citizenry, infected people were isolated and stigmatized, mobility and movement of people was
restricted, programs and policies were created and implemented to educate and make people
aware of the necessary health regimen for self-protection and disease prevention (Sánchez-
Sánchez et al., 2020). Thus, the financial, communal, and mental effect of COVID-19 has
changed and altered consumer purchasing patterns (Rogers & Cosgrove, 2020). In an analysis
done Kirk and Rifkin (2020) on the impact of COVID-19 on consumer behaviour, it was
revealed that the disease has created constraint in social interaction among sellers and buyers.
Similarly, another study argued that consumer purchase patterns were altered due negative
economic impact of the disease outbreak (Laato et al., 2020; Pantano et al., 2020). Hence, most
market studies reported that consumers created a scale of preference due to order of importance
for survival thereby placing purchasing priority on food, health and hygiene (Rogers &
Cosgrove, 2020).

Against the foregoing this essay intends to explore how consumer behaviour has changed due to
the outbreak of COVID-19 and the impact it has on future marketing. The relevant case study to
assess the impact of COVID-19 is the Nigerian fashion industry. In light of this, the essay will
critically evaluate how marketing has influenced purchase of fashion items and to make useful
recommendations that will help to sustainably develop the Nigerian fashion industry.

2. The Nigerian Fashion Industry

The Nigerian fashion industry includes deals with creating, marketing, and selling products and
services like apparels, footwears, bags, as well as jewelries and accessories (AFDB, 2020). Over
the years the fashion industry as transitioned from physical retail of products to the ecommerce
and social media platforms (Milaković, 2021). Owing to the projections done in a market survey
the revenue generated in the Nigerian fashion sector was projected to reach US$1.82bn in 2022
(AFDB, 2020). The market survey also revealed that the Nigerian fashion industry revenue is
expected to grow at a rate of 12.3% between 2022-2025 resulting in a projected market volume
of US$2.58bn by 2025, with consumer patronage increasing from 21.6% in 2022 to 30% in 2025
(Keane and Neal, 2021).

In spite of this projections, the impact of the outbreak of the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak cannot be
overlooked. Globally, the fashion industry like other economic sectors was negatively affected
(Chopra et al. 2020). Most fashion shows and trends that set the pace for global standard were
cancelled. In a market survey conducted by Billore, & Anisimova on the impact of COVID-19
on the global fashion industry, it was reported that the industry suffered a great decline in
economic profit by 90 per cent (Billore, & Anisimova, 2021).

Owing to the fact that the Nigerian fashion industry 15% of the $31 billion sub-Saharan fashion
market. where billions of Naira in sales, patronage and fashion shows were lost due to the
lockdown (Bakhtiani, 2021). Particularly, the economic loss in the fashion sector was because
many fashion stores close down due to a lockdown enforced by the government. This situation
led to fashion designers and brands scampering to find innovative ways to keep their audiences
and business afloat by hopping aboard the digital train. The much-beloved fashion shows went
virtual while style editors and fashion lovers, dressed in loungewear, watched from the comfort
of their home.

Drawing from this, it is imperative to point out the Nigerian fashion industry experienced a
major setback financially. The Nigerian fashion profitability further declined due to enforced
lockdowns that restricted movement and negatively affected social life and economies (Minton
and Canbano, 2021). Interestingly, burden of the disease led to an upsurge transition of fashion
sellers and buyers to digitized social media and ecommerce platforms to combat the restriction
placed on physical offline sale and purchase of fashion items or products (Pakravan-Charvadeh
et al. 2021). A global market survey conducted by fashion industry experts revealed there has
been a drastic increase in online consumer patronage globally especially in Europe since the
outbreak of Covid-19 (Prentice et al, 2021). A relevant example is the case of the adoption and
investment of the digital strategy to market and sell their products globally (Adams-Prassl et al.
2020).

3. The application of behavioural reasoning theoretical framework to the impact of

COVID-19 on consumer behaviour

Although a lot of theories explain the connectivity between marketing and consumption,
customers & customer behaviour., this essay will be anchored on the behavioural reasoning
theory. Behavioral reasoning theory (BRT) is relatively a new theory that creates a framework or
blueprint guide to link subjective individual beliefs, motives or values, reasons to consumer
behaviour outcome in terms of patronage and purchase of products and services (Ryan and
Casidy, 2018; Westaby, 2005). According to the tenets of BRT consumer behaviour is outcome of
the reason behind action or inaction of a customer to patronize a recommended or marketed
product, the context and cognitive routes of marketing in relation to the innate beliefs of benefits
and satisfaction customers derive from patronage (Ryan and Casidy, 2018).

With respect to the impact of COVID-19 on how consumer behaviour has changed due to the
outbreak of COVID-19 and the impact it has on future marketing the BRT best explains the
subjective and value laden reasons for or against a behavior. It provides a blueprint guide that
sheds more light on the reasons why consumers decrease physical purchase of fashion products
and services and why most businesses that operate within the Nigerian fashion industry have
digitized marketing and sales (Watson, 2005). In this essay a brief assessment was done on the
impact of COVID-19 restrictions on consumer behaviour within the Nigerian context. Hence, the
BRT provides a detailed explanation the innate subjective drivers such as beliefs, motives,
intentions, and how it affects consumer behaviour.
According to Fishbein & Ajzen beliefs or values are major predictors of consumer behaviour
because they are innate cognitive patterns or subjective probability judgments, that determine the
future behaviour of consumers (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). Furthermore, it was revealed that the
developed motives for an action are influenced by attitude, subjective norm and perceived
behavioral control (Ajzen, 1991). As a consequence, attitude is the decision to engage in a
behaviour which is influenced by in-depth analysis and deliberative evaluation of cognitive
realities and situational context (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). Relating this to the impact of COVID-
19, consumer behaviour is mostly influenced by beliefs about the positive and negative effect of
engaging in a behavioural pattern in terms consumption and purchase.

Another, aspect of the BRT framework is the impact subjective norm have on pressure to
perform a behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Hence, most consumers often exhibit behaviours in terms of
the existent pressures of social and cultural realities. In support of this, Fishbein and Azjen
mostly attributes consumer behavioural outcome “innate intentions of consumers” (Fishbein &
Ajzen, 1975).

Substantively, when relating BRT to how consumer behaviour has changed due to the outbreak
of COVID-19 and the impact it has on future marketing trends in consumer behaviour for or
against purchasing fashion (Tandon et al., 2020; Westaby, 2005).

4. Relating the BRT to how consumer behavior has changed in response to covid 19 in
Nigeria

The outbreak of the disease has sent most businesses back to the drawing board to innovate
strategies that will improve sustainable development and business profitability (Witteveen, 2020;
Rayburn et al. 2021). Hence, the Nigerian fashion industry has been changed channel strategy,
geographic focus, assortment planning or securing supply chains to serve consumer needs and
demands.

Drawing from the aforementioned, it can be deduced that understanding the driving force of
consumer behavior is critical for marketing any product or service successfully. This is because
when sellers understand peoples the factors influencing consumers behaviour in terms of
purchasing, they are able to create effective marketing campaigns. Also, technological
development has encouraged the improvement of channels for supply and demand of goods to cut
across the barrier of distance (Rita et al., 2019). The digitization of the fashion industry to online
stores enabled the swift shift of customers from physical stores to online stores (Verhoef et al., 2015).
As a result of the digitization of fashion products and services customers are able to have access to
many options through online channels, a significant attraction of more new and existing customers
toward the newly developed online solutions and alternatives increased (Rita et al, 2019).

5. The future of the Nigerian industry

Although during the first, and second wave of COVID-19 in Nigeria, the fashion industry experienced
a stand still.  The supply force of the market was negatively affected due to travel ban and
movement restrictions This particularly affected fashion entrepreneurs who rely on importing
fashion items from China. Due to these situations, was gravely affected by took an unexpected
hit of the pandemic. This led to some in-depth some soul searching and strategizing among
fashion industry professionals on possible ways or measures to solve the problem of production
cycle, resource access, and processes of creating (Yap, Xu, & Tan, 2021).

Succinctly, many fashion professionals were able to support the prevention of the disease spread
through the creation of necessities that everyone needed (face masks). The impact of the
pandemic has made most fashion industry professionals to realize that Nigeria needs more
infrastructural development more so than ever before (Witteveen, 2020). In light of this, many
Nigerian fashion professionals have changed their supply routes from Asian and European
countries to local apparels and other fashion items.

Owing to the concentration of the government on oil boom, the Nigerian government has in the past
made a mistake of neglecting the fashion sector. The fashion industry can be sustainably developed if
a deliberate effort is made by the Nigerian government to create an environment where fashion
products and services can thrive nationally. This will allow the creative sector to excel. Revitalizing
the fashion industry despite the adverse effect of COVID-19 is possible, especially if policies
protecting the development and provision of financing industries through low interest government
credit schemes. Also, to achieve sustainability in the fashion sector, fashion industry experts should
invest in market research and infrastructures so that customers dire demands are adequately met.
The fashion industry has a potential to improve if it is strategically managed by all key stakeholders.
Also economically, the Nigerian fashion industry can do a lot of benefits to its citizenry through skill
acquisition and income empowerments.

6. Recommendations to improve the Nigerian fashion industry

Since marketing and commerce is a key driver for the development and improvement of the
fashion industry, this essay makes the following recommendations:

 Digital adoption

The advent of social media and other online market place platform such as amazon, Ebay, Jumia,
as well as Konga are fundamental and central to everything consumers do. So, most fashion
entrepreneurs and professionals should innovate modern conversion technologies in channeling
marketing sales and consumer behaviour, A relevant example is the digitization of Nike business
operation and customer experience. According to the CEO to accelerate their business project
Nike had to go digital owing to the transition in consumer behaviour. According to a fashion
industry expert, Although Nigeria is not fully ready to embrace dynamism of the environment
because “the citizenry likes to see, feel and touch.”

Also, digitization according to Jayawardhena & Farrell (2011) stated, the push factor for
customers transition to online platforms is due to the available digital service offerings that
makes products recommendations due to history search algorithm and features of wish list
creation and repurchase. Hence, these digital platforms allow fashion entrepreneurs and
professionals to subjectively understand customer attitude and desires based on the method the
customer utilizes in evaluating the offered services (Jayawardhena & Farrell, 2011). The digital
adoption specifically allows an in-depth analysis of customer decisions through identification of
the problems through optimization of database information on online customers' activities, faced
problems, and choices. The retailers gain access to several stages of online customer behaviour
and can monitor it. That facilitates the process of forecasting and providing the required products
upon the customers’ expectations (Nguyen, 2018).
The ab

 Demand-driven Approach
There is need for fashion entrepreneurs and experts to design, and implement efficient, simple,
and demand-focused operating models that will center on discovering and fulfilling fashion
needs of consumers.” This is because demand majorly influences sales in spite of the well-
defined functions of price and product attributes. Thus, the causal trend in demand creates a
developing mechanism for predicting consumer behaviour. The demand driven approach can
start from optimizing the identified consumer expectations, and moves to engaging prospective
customers through marketing, evaluation of processes and metrics based on social and
psychological realities innate to consumers, mobilizations of ideal marketing and sales strategies
that will meet consumer needs.
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