Coronavirus and social distancing are having a dramatic impact on consumer behaviour, but what trends will remain once the lockdown is lifted?

As the world adapts to what has now become the new normal, consumers have become accustomed to changes in their routines brought by the coronavirus lockdown.

While many long for a world outside the restrictions, some new behaviours and habits have arisen that we might be keen to keep hold of. Retail Week details some of the consumer trends that have been propelled by the pandemic, and are likely to remain once it is over.

Restaurant quality at home

With the majority of restaurants closed for the foreseeable future, over 500 million meals that would have been eaten in restaurants, cafes and pubs are now being catered for at home, according to Kantar head of retail and consumer insight Fraser McKevitt. 

Gousto box 2

People may choose to cook at home more even after restaurants have reopened

With restaurants closed and lockdown giving some people more time on their hands, home cooks are becoming more ambitious.

“There has clearly been a huge uptick in the number of people cooking at home, and within that an element of more scratch cooking. We’ve also seen lots of baking on social media and in the mainstream press – showcasing people’s desire to be homelier and more comfort-focused, and also the fact that we’ve got the time to do these activities now in some cases,” says McKevitt.

“With the out-of-home sector shut down, there may also be a demand for more exotic and interesting flavours at home, meaning new products will need to be developed by grocers to bring these dishes home.”

McKevitt believes this trend could become even bigger if the pandemic results in an economic downturn, as customers will look to tighten their belts further and avoid eating out.

WGSN food and drink editor Claire Lancaster agrees.

“Some 70% of meals in Europe and 50% in the US took place at home before the pandemic – a number that has now increased due to the outbreak. Consumers will have a newfound appreciation for preparing their own food, a growing interest in learning how to cook new dishes and a desire to take increased control of their experience by using food as a means of self-expression, comfort and community,” she says.

”In China, people filled their quarantine time by creating meals. Downloads of the top five recipe apps more than doubled in February to 2.25 million from January’s 1 million, according to research firm Sensor Tower.

Even when the restaurant sector reopens, many people may continue to experiment in their kitchens, meaning demand for recipe and meal kits is likely to grow.

Some retailers are already serving this market. Morrisons, for example, offers recipe boxes in its Eat Fresh range that can be delivered directly to customers’ doors. Subscription services such as Gousto and HelloFresh may also see a surge in demand.

Retailers and restaurant chains alike should take advantage of this trend by forming partnerships where consumers can cook their favourite meals at home.

Lancaster also predicts that: “post-coronavirus, consumers around the world will continue to look to brands that help expand the horizons of home cooking. Expect to see a surge in countertop and smart appliances that help cooks create restaurant-quality cooking in the household kitchen.”

Functional fashion

From the confines of our studies, dining rooms and bedrooms, the definition of workwear has become a looser term in recent weeks, with many people turning to loungewear and dressing from the waist up for video conference calls.

Amazon Prime Wardrobe

Fashion has been a low priority for shoppers stuck at home

Fashion has been low in many people’s priorities during this time, as consumers adjust to home isolation.

In March, a month when spring buying would typically set in, online clothing sales were down 23.1% year on year, according to the latest IMRG figures. Digging deeper into fashion sales, menswear was down 42.9% and footwear plummeted 32.8%. 

When relative normality returns, consumers are likely to continue to rethink their fashion buying habits. Moreover, with less discretionary spend likely during the mooted post-pandemic recession, people will limit their purchases to products they need and serve a purpose or function.

With many consumers becoming more health-conscious during the lockdown, this functional fashion will include garments made of materials with sanitising and microbe-fighting functions.

Many of these materials were already making their way into the sports industry, but with fears of future virus outbreaks, these materials could become more prevalent as consumers seek protection against airborne diseases.

Taking care of the vulnerable

One positive that has arisen out of the coronavirus pandemic has been a sense of community, with retailers and consumers coming together to serve and care for vulnerable people.

From the introduction of specified shopping hours or priority online delivery slots for older customers to the volunteers offering to run errands and picking up groceries for people in self-isolation, the pandemic has brought out some of the best elements of local communities.

M&SNHStshirt

Retailers have repurposed their supply chains to help health services

Mintel senior trends consultant Richard Cope believes these measures may continue in the longer term, which could result in retailers incentivising customers to deliver goods to their elderly or vulnerable neighbours.

“All the community shops people are doing, shopping for neighbours and leaving goods outside their door – I think we will see some schemes come out of it,” he says.

“More and more supermarkets may incentivise people to undertake these tasks, and we may see an increase in outreach programmes in general for seniors or isolated people.

“We’ve also seen a number of supermarkets, such as Morrisons and the Co-op, being very vocal about the work they’re doing with foodbanks, so this may also grow.”

Elsewhere, many companies have repurposed their supply chains to help with the coronavirus pandemic, with some making hand sanitiser or protective equipment. Retailers that tap into this community spirit are likely to win both the support – and custom – of local shoppers.

The rise of the silver surfer

There’s no doubt that more people are turning to ecommerce channels at this time, whether it’s to buy essential groceries or non-essential pick-me-ups.

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Food boxes have become popular among new online grocery shoppers

However, with many online delivery slots reserved for older or more vulnerable people, the biggest change in ecommerce will be the addition of older customers who may have been forced to overcome anxieties about shopping online.

“We’re seeing huge amounts of increase in consumer adoption of technology,” says David Gore, head of retail, media and technology at IT and business consultancy BJSS. 

“Ecommerce is likely to deepen and broaden due to the pandemic, so it will be interesting to see how this impacts sectors such as pharmacy and grocery, which have typically resisted the shift to online.” 

Cope says convenient online solutions, such as the food delivery boxes launched by Marks & Spencer and Morrisons in recent weeks, may appeal to the older generation after coronavirus subsides.

“Typically food boxes are aimed at young, time-pressed urbanites, but the real core market should be those who live alone – we’ve got huge proportions of seniors in this country who live alone who don’t have much social contact,” he says.

“One of the legacies of this era is that all of these convenient solutions and the awareness of them in the older demographic is going to grow, probably due to younger family members who have set them up for the future.”

The hygiene factor

Hand sanitiser, hand soap and cleaning products have become some of the most sought-after items throughout this pandemic and, in an increasingly health-aware world, there is no reason for heightened hygiene levels to subside.

Hand sanitiser empty shelves

Hand sanitiser has been one of the most sought-after products since the Covid-19 outbreak

The consumer that emerges from this crisis will become far more conscious of the risks of bad hygiene, coupled with underlying health problems.

Barclays’ Global Consumer Staples report reveals that washing hands more regularly is the biggest behavioural change in the UK in response to the spread of the virus, predicting that this practice will remain in place for many months and will be a major social norm even after the pandemic passes.

Frequent handwashing also causes dry skin, meaning demand for moisturisers will rise. Barclays predicts premium skincare products may see an acceleration in growth.

Post-coronavirus, retailers will be expected to stick to higher hygiene levels and may need to have products such as hand sanitiser and wipes available for customers to use at their discretion.

An interest in health and hygiene may also have an impact on the food people eat, as they become more aware of the traceability of where products are manufactured and the impacts on their personal health. This could fuel interest in locally produced goods.

DIY boom

The UK has increasingly been moving towards “do it for me” rather than “do it yourself” with many people hiring tradespeople to do jobs around the house.

However, with many of us stuck at home, people have taken on projects and learned new DIY skills – both to pass the time and to make the home a nicer space to be confined to.

B&Q Queue

B&Q’s online queue has grown longer during lockdown

B&Q, for example, has a virtual online queue that has reached over two hours in length at its busiest periods as homeowners clamour to get their hands on DIY products.

Similarly, homewares retailers or those with homewares departments are seeing a spike in sales.

“At a category level, home décor and beauty/wellness were clear winners from the last recession - we’re already seeing a halo on these categories under the current circumstances,” says Kantar analyst Anusha Couttigane.

For many, working at home over the past few weeks has been an experiment and attitudes to this way of working are expected to become more relaxed post-coronavirus, which Couttigane says will help sustain interest in categories such as DIY and home décor.

As people remain at home, there has also been an increased demand for at-home beauty treatments as people cannot get to their usual salon appointments.

While few will continue to rely on family members to cut their hair, the increase in sales of products such as nail varnish and skincare may indicate that consumers have become more self-sufficient in the beauty space.

Meal planning = less waste

With the prime minister encouraging consumers to shop for necessities such as food as infrequently as possible, many have moved away from buying food as and when they want it and reverted back to doing the big weekly shop.

This means many people are planning out their meals for the week to ensure they have everything they need. Retailers can help by giving guidance to shoppers – offering recipe ideas and weekly meal plans, and grouping ingredients for simple dishes together in stores.

Coronavirus social distancing queue

The supermarket ‘big shop’ has made a comeback

Meal planning will have the added benefit of reducing food waste.

Food waste is another area coronavirus has built awareness of.  “There’s been a realisation for people of how much food they usually waste,” says Cope. ”To start with they’ve seen all the packaging and waste pile up in front of them when the rubbish collections were affected by the pandemic. But I think people are more conscious of the waste they produce, and I think meal planning will stay.

“We will probably go back to buying food as we did before, instead of relying on dried foods and tins, but I think we will be more conscious shoppers.”

Retailers can tap into this trend by reducing the amount of packaging used on products. Plastic was a big concern before coronavirus hit, and while it may have been pushed to the back of consumer’s minds, for now, a resurgence is highly likely.

No gym, no problem

With gyms closed across the country, exercise has primarily become an at-home activity.

Nike NTC app

Nike has added nearly 200 free workouts to its app

At-home fitness equipment, such as dumbbells and resistance bands, have been in high demand, with many consumers taking to social media to express their frustration with low stock availability. John Lewis has reported a “significant uplift” in sales of at-home gym equipment and Halfords has seen a rise in demand for exercise bikes. 

Many consumers are turning to online for inspiration for workouts, some of which have been provided by sports brands. Nike, for example, has launched almost 200 free workouts on its Nike Training Club App.

YouTube videos and Instagram tutorials are also popular, often given by well-known influencers. Fitness influencer Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, was awarded a world record by the Guinness Book of Records for his daily workout livestreams, which reached almost 1 million people on March 24.

Another element of fitness that may continue after lockdown is lifted in the ‘daily exercise hour’. People have become accustomed to a new fitness regime or activity, with many people taking up cycling and running in the place of their usual gym routines. For some, these activities will continue after the pandemic ends.

This shift towards exercising, often for free, at home is not a trend that is likely to disappear, so retailers need to take advantage of it with tailored sports offers and content such as workout videos to boost customer engagement.