CONSUMERS CONFUSION DURING THE PANDEMIC COVID-19
CONSUMERS CONFUSION DURING THE PANDEMIC COVID-19

Summary/Abstract: Following the proclamation of the world pandemic of Covid- 19 by the World Health Organization in March 2020, the whole society underwent drastic changes that radically disrupted our practices and habits. The essential changes caused by the pandemic because of the different restrictions taken from all the countries were in the focus of every researcher. This research presents a modest summary of the latest impact that the pandemic itself has on the shopping attitudes, perceptions, and consumers’ behavior, to determine the changes that this situation has caused to consumers. Secondary data are used for conducting this research on consumers’ behavior and businesses, while as a tool for data collection a questionnaire was used, based on focus groups who were part of the first lockdown on March - April 2020. There were 127 respondents involved, who were randomly selected through social networks. As statistical methods, we have used correlations and descriptive statistics to make inferences and conclusions. The data are used only to describe the situation of the consumers during March-April 2020. From the analysis of the primary and secondary data, we reached the results which proved that the Fear from the unknown and the Stress caused by this physical distance has influenced the increase of impulsive purchases. According to consumers, they will change the economic conditions, so they will reduce their purchases, will change the meaning of businesses, and expect price changes as well. Income, family, and emotional state are presented as the main factors on which their purchases will depend. The effect of newspapers and social media is almost insignificant as sources of information for the consumers in times of pandemic. Family well-being is listed as the primary need of consumers.

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