Many people are still experiencing
altered personal circumstances. Some may have saved money by not being able to go out,
and others are worse off for being furloughed or losing their job. With many spending
more time conducting more shopping and other daily activities – work, education, play –
from home, connections to family, home and local community have strengthened.
As a result,
many consumers are redefining what they value and how, when, where and why they shop.
They are buying different products. They are buying through channels they may not
have used before. And many of these shifts are likely to continue beyond the pandemic.
Human trends:
Long-established behaviors such as
the daily commute and in-person shopping have been disrupted, reducing the exposure
brands depend on. In the face of an ever-growing barrage of digital communications from
brand owners, consumers are becoming pickier about those they choose to engage with.
Recurring lockdowns, habits picked
up from the pandemic and social restrictions continue to drive an increase in shopping
online and atomizing the shopping experience into micro-moments spread throughout the
day and across devices. The lack of many of the sensory cues on which people rely in a
physical retail environment has changed how consumers approach buying decisions.
Conscious consumption, shopping
local and ecommerce have all grown significantly over the past year and look set to
continue.
Some 62% of consumers think the
pandemic will increase their focus on environment issues moving forward while 79% think
it will increase their longer-term focus on health.
1
Meanwhile, 46% of consumers expect
to sustain their increased purchase of locally-sourced goods during the pandemic once it
is over, for example, while the same proportion expect to continue to shop more from
local outlets or suppliers.
2
New ecommerce users increased their
usage of the channel during the pandemic by 156%, and plan to continue similarly after
it has passed, according to Accenture consumer research.
3 Shoppers are buying
through text messaging and social media platforms. Brands are selling direct to
consumers.
Consumers have increased use of
omnichannel services such as home delivery, chat features and virtual consultations, and
are highly likely to continue using these in the future.
Further, consumers are seeking
greater relevance from increased personalization from the CPG brands they choose to
engage with. And they are looking to consumer goods brand owners not to solve their
problems but to enable them to create for themselves to meet their own needs.
In today’s multi-faceted
omnichannel world, those organizations with a brand presence that is purposeful,
inclusive and integrated across all channels will be the winners.