COMMUNITY AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Dorota Lesiak*

ABSTRACT

While the uncertainty during the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic was the main worry for the communities, it persists and propagated throughout the globe as the pandemic was progressing. The pandemic impact was felt and approached differently across the communities and the countries. As a result, there was significant divergence in the ways consumers respond to the crisis and adapt to the next stage of the pandemic. As the crisis progressed, it has triggered fundamental economic and social changes, the health services providers had to implement some changes in the patients care management pathways. The production companies and the marketing organisation needed to understand consumer behaviour and predict the demand at this particular time, also had to respond to the crisis resulted from the pandemic in an appropriate way. In addition the lockdown policies were implemented by the authorities in all countries, one of the sudden responses we’ve seen, was how people are approaching the period of uncertainty and isolation in a significant overnight changes to their daily life style and shopping behaviours.

Keywords: COVID-19, Stress, Anxiety, Unemployment, Breast cancer, e-doctor, Furlough Scheme. Panic bulk-shopping.