A good majority, 67%, of consumers are no longer just shopping for essentials due to the ongoing coronavirus but are also buying non-essentials. Just under three-quarters, 71%, of shoppers worldwide are feeling comfortable in returning to physical store settings.
And, by the summer of 2021, more than half expect shopping habits to be back to normal, according to a Mood Media study, “Shopper Sentiments: A September 2020 Global Mood Survey.” The survey polled over 8,000 consumers in the U.K., U.S, China and France, according to a press release on the study’s data.
Additional findings include:
- 80% feel comfortable with health and safety measures put in place in stores.
- Many report spending less money and less time shopping in-store than before COVID-19.
- US consumers most concerned out of countries polled of catching COVID-19 in-store.
- The desire for sensory experiences in-store remains key.
- Over a third, 31%, are spending less money and less time shopping than before the pandemic.
“Consumers’ retail habits are still evolving as businesses slowly begin to open again. Many consumers are spending less time in [the] store and less money per visit, meaning they’ve become mission shoppers focused on getting in and out as quickly as possible,” Scott Moore, global chief marketing officer for Mood Media, said in the release.
The study was conducted in partnership with Censuswide.
“Acknowledging and fulfilling today’s unique customer experience needs is where opportunity lies. Those of us in the physical retail business must continue to think through every aspect – every step — of the customer experience journey, finding ways to mitigate fear and assure safety along the way,” Moore said in the release. “Those businesses that step up to elevate the customer experience and help their customers streamline their shopping journey from start to finish have an opportunity to create a lifetime of customer loyalty far beyond the pandemic’s reach. For all parties involved, it’s important we all rise to the occasion.”
This article originally appeared in Retail Customer Experience.
