The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the omnichannel consumer behavior

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an unprecedented challenge for governments, institutions, businesses. This ongoing health crisis is having a profound impact on consumer behavior. The virus is reshaping the consumer goods industry. In a digitized world, where consumers use both online and offline channels it is an interesting topic for further research. In this regard the current study intends to investigate the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the omnichannel consumer behavior. Previous studies have focused so far on identifying consumer behavior in times of crisis, without paying specific attention on the omnichannel consumer behavior and on how consumers use technology during a health crisis. It is more than challenging for marketers to monitor the changing habits of consumers, as they are trying to adapt in this new reality. Thus, the aim of this dissertation is to reveal the changes in consumers’ daily lives and purchasing patterns, caused by the pandemic. These changes are examined in four different time periods: before the outbreak of the pandemic, during the first lockdown, in the period between the first and the second lockdown and during the second lockdown. The point is to define the differences and similarities in order to project which of these changes are likely to continue in the future. In this study both qualitative and quantitative data collection method was used. For the qualitative research two rounds of interviews were conducted. For the quantitative research, an online questionnaire was distributed throughout the month of December 2020, with a sample size of 312 respondents. The data was statistically analysed with the SPSS program. Descriptive statistics were computed and pairwise comparison analysis was performed. Drawing from the findings of both studies, academic, managerial and societal implications are discussed, as well as limitations and future research directions are suggested.