Pandemics and their effects on customer behavior (Essay Sample)

PANDEMICS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
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A pandemic can be defined as an epidemic that occurs over a wide area, crossing international boundaries, and usually affects many people across the globe. Most pandemics are naturally occurring events. Some examples include; the 2009 swine flu, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the latest Coronavirus disease, which has claimed the lives of more than two million people globally. On the other hand, a customer refers to a person who either purchases or receives goods and services from a business or a merchant. This paper examines the effect of pandemics on customer behavior.
Most customers now shop through online platforms. As the Corona Virus disease has continued to affect most countries globally, more strict measures have been put by nations and the World Health Organization to curb its spread . Such efforts include the social distance of one and a half meters from one person to another, which has made it very hard for people to visit market places and shopping malls. Consequently, many customers have preferred online shopping, where their purchases are delivered at their doorsteps. This has affected many physical businesses negatively due to a lack of customers.[Russell Zwanka, and Cheryl Buff. "COVID-19 generation: a conceptual framework of the consumer behavioral shifts to Be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic." Journal of International Consumer Marketing 33, no. 1 (2021): 58-67. Retrieved from HYPERLINK "https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08961530.2020.1771646" https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08961530.2020.1771646]
Saving culture has also increased. Most countries have closed down their economies, some to the point of putting their countries in total lockdown depending on the spread of the virus and the total number of cases reported per day. When people are placed on lockdown, they mainly rely on their savings for survival if their jobs are impossible to work while they are at home . Such businesses as grocery stores and petrol stations are affected by lockdowns in a significant way. In the case of a pandemic, people do not overspend on luxurious things like expensive cars and clothes, but instead save the money, for they do not know when they can be locked down.[Oleg V Buklemishev, . "Coronavirus crisis and its effects on the economy." Population and Economics 4 (2020): 13. Retrieved from HYPERLINK "https://populationandeconomics.pensoft.net/article/53295/download/pdf/" https://populationandeconomics.pensoft.net/article/53295/download/pdf/]
In a time of crisis, the customer increases their awareness of the value of money, which makes them make compromises in terms of the brand, the quality, and the price of an item. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the customer's decision-making because of the change in the economic state of the world . Many face the risk of losing their job or having pay cuts, and as a result, they become economical, reduce their intake and reduce spending. They are forced to look for better altern