Shift in Belgian consumer behaviour

In launch of their fourth Customer Weekend, trade organisations (Unizo, Comeos and UCM) conducted a survey of 2,700 Belgians to discover the new shopping behaviours of customers.

It reported that seven in ten consumers are still shopping less than before the pandemic, 49.2 percent no longer enjoy shopping with all of the new corona restrictions and 41.2 percent indicate they are still “afraid of becoming infected”, according to a statement.

In combination with the responsible behaviour of consumers, 77.45 percent of shoppers miss trusted physical stores, 28.74 percent miss uncomplicated family shopping and nearly a quarter of respondents miss shopping with friends.

In the rise of increased hygiene amongst consumers due to Covid-19, contactless payment has become significantly more popular, with 77 percent of consumers surveyed saying that they pay more electronically since the virus. Additionally, 37.4 percent of respondents said they never used to pay contactless, but now they do.

Due to the restrictions at the start of the year, consumer’s spending cuts in spring included clothing, shoes and accessories at a decrease of 51.63 percent.

When questioned if consumers will spend extra in the coming months, 9.19 percent said yes, 54.79 percent stated they would save the money they didn’t spend and 27.73 percent said they will spend the money elsewhere. 8.79 percent of respondents said they have less income due to Covid-19 and will therefore spend less.

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