Effects of Covid-19: Half of consumers now prioritise availability over quality or price

As Covid-19 continues to cause shifts in shopping behaviours due to store closures and product shortages, new data reveals that one in two consumers are now prioritising availability over quality, price or brand when making purchases.

Shoppers now prioritise availability, then price, then quality, whereas before the pandemic they prioritised quality, then price, then brand.

That’s according to data from digital marketing firm Bazaarvoice and product discovery and reviews platform Influenster based on a survey of 3,351 international Influenster members.

The survey also found that 79 percent of consumers either agree or strongly agree that their shopping behaviour has changed due to the pandemic, with 41 percent now shopping online for items they would usually buy in physical stores.

Thirty-three percent of consumers are now buying more products online than they usually do, with skincare and cosmetics products making up 82 percent of those purchases.

Half (52 percent) of consumers are now reading more reviews online.

Suzin Wold, senior vice president of marketing at Bazaarvoice, commented in the report: “This data shows how important it is for retailers to be responsive to shifting consumer preferences – with availability and price more important than ever, while quality and brand have become less of a concern. The retail sector can step up by providing clear and accurate information that properly meets shoppers’ changing requirements and priorities, particularly as more than half of consumers are now increasingly reading reviews online.

“It’s important that retailers understand these shifts on an ongoing basis – with more consumers planning to return to their usual shopping habits once the pandemic is over than planning to stick with their current shopping behaviours, retailers need to ensure they are adequately responding to the current moment while also planning ahead in order to adapt as soon as the pandemic subsides.”

Photo: Pixabay, courtesy of Ecommerce Foundation