Consumer behaviour differ across markets during Covid-19, Mindshare

WPP media agency Mindshare, has released the latest ‘New Normal’ COVID-19 tracker, its third so far that has been monitoring consumer behaviours in the wake of coronavirus crisis, in what it says will shape the way consumers will adapt and live post pandemic.

The tracker polled 1,000 people across 10 global markets.

According to the latest findings from the tracker, while behaviours have stabilized, the emotional attitude towards the global crisis continues to change and as markets come out of lockdown there are bigger global differences.

With more countries still on lockdown, there has been a gradual decline in how ‘scared’ people are, whilst the sentiment around ‘frustration’ and ‘loneliness’ now stabilizes. In China where the lockdown has ended, people now feel less worried than other nations and there is ‘hope’ coming through in the places where lockdown seems to be working such as China and Italy. However, Germans preparing to come out of lockdown still have lots of ‘doubt’ and ‘frustration’ is high across Europe. The tracker continues to show that women are more likely to be worried (61 per cent versus 55 per cent) and scared (32 per cent versus 26 per cent) and anxious (36 per cent versus 29 per cent) than men.

Whilst people are still buying more than normal, that amount has stabilized but with key differences by market. Medicine has seen bigger increases in China, India and Thailand compared to a global average of 18 per cent. France, Germany and Netherlands consumers however have not been buying more compared to the global average.

Media behaviour has started to show a consist pattern of high online (66 per cent) and streaming activity (56 per cent). Shopping online continues to increase across the weeks. While globally we are seeing the same dynamics, there are some variations by market. Live TV versus Streaming TV is different in many markets. France, Spain, and India buck the trend with Live TV increasing more than other markets. Spain is also calling friends and family more than any other market. Shopping online meanwhile is the lowest in France and Spain.

What people are missing is showing bigger differences in the markets than the overall averages of going outside, Dining out and seeing people face to face. People in China most want to go to malls, whilst in Germany people want to go on vacation. In the Netherlands and Thailand, people want to go to salons or barbers.

Those in the US want to volunteer again whilst Spain is missing physical contact the most. Gender also shows differences in what the global population is missing with women more likely to miss seeing people, physical contact and shopping than men.

www.mindshareworld.com