The Pandemic Consumer Response: A Stockpiling Perspective and Shopping Channel Preferences

Abstract

Covid-19 has changed consumer behaviour, probably forever. Initial consumer stockpiling led to stockouts, threat and uncertainty for consumers. To overcome shortages, consumers expanded their use of channels and many consumers started buying online for the first time. In this paper, we aim to address important research gaps related to consumer behaviour during the pandemic and especially stockpiling. Our paper starts by presenting the findings of our pre-study, which used social media to elicit or confirm potential constructs for our quantitative models. These constructs complemented the protection motivations theory to explain stockpiling behaviour, forming the basis for study 1, the stockpiling preparation stage and study 2, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic disruptor on customer service logistics and lockdown shopping channel preferences. For studies 1 and 2 we gathered data via a UK online panel-structured questionnaire survey (n = 603). Results confirm that consumer-driven changes to supply chains emanate largely from consumer uncertainty. Lockdown restrictions led to consumers feeling socially excluded, but enhanced consumers' positive attitudes towards shopping online and increased consumers' altruism. In response, consumers stockpiled by visiting physical stores and/or ordering online. Lockdown restrictions led to feelings of social exclusion but, importantly, stockpiling helped to minimize consumer anxiety and fear and even increase wellbeing.

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“…, 2022 ; Papagiannidis et al. , 2022 ), secondary financial databases (Ataullah, Le and Wood, 2022 ; Ghobadian et al. , 2022 ; Li, Trinh and Elnahass, 2022 ), and survey data (Calabrese, Cowling and Liu, 2022 ; Liu, Shahab and Hoque, 2022 ).…”

“…The nine studies that focus principally on the individual level of analysis encompass a range of individual stakeholder roles, including customers/consumers (Papagiannidis et al. , 2022 ), employees/workers (Adisa et al. , 2022 ; Ashman et al.…”

“…Seven out of the 14 are wholly or primarily qualitative in approach (Adisa et al, 2022;Ashman et al, 2022;Branicki, Kalfa and Brammer, 2022;Nayani et al, 2022;Puthusserry et al, 2022;Sahasranamam and Soundararajan, 2022;Wulandhari et al, 2022). The other seven studies use quantitative approaches including experiments or quasiexperiments (Kakarika et al, 2022;Papagiannidis et al, 2022), secondary financial databases (Ataullah, Le and Wood, 2022;Ghobadian et al, 2022;Li, Trinh and Elnahass, 2022), and survey data (Calabrese, Cowling and Liu, 2022;Liu, Shahab and Hoque, 2022).…”

“…Studies that examine individual experiences of, and responses to, COVID-19 make up the largest cluster of studies published so far in the Journal. The nine studies that focus principally on the individual level of analysis encompass a range of individual stakeholder roles, including customers/consumers (Papagiannidis et al, 2022), employees/workers (Adisa et al, 2022;Ashman et al, 2022), and investors (Uddin and Chowdhury, 2021).…”

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“…70 The Covid-19 pandemic saw many consumers who had been reluctant to use the Internet become motivated by the necessity to shop online, and thus e-shopping increased dramatically. 7,72,73 We expect the 'Covid trend' bringing together physical with the digital to extend into the metaverse. 74 Shopping for physical goods can be enhanced by applications such as trying on clothes or sneakers on your virtual avatar.…”