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74% APAC Consumers Report a Lasting Change in Shopping Behaviour: Adobe

by CIO AXIS

Despite COVID-19 induced lockdown restrictions now being lifted in many parts of the world, the extended time spent confined to the home has had a significant impact on consumers’ shopping habits and their interactions with brands, according to research released by Adobe.

Conducted by Advanis, a research firm, for Adobe, the study surveyed 4,001 consumers in selected Asia Pacific (APAC) countries – Australia, China, India and Singapore between 1 – 17 June 2020.

Nitin Singhal, India Head, Digital Experience Business, Adobe said, “As consumer behaviour and preferences shift in the current environment, it has become critical for brands to reorient their customer engagement and communication strategies. With digital emerging as a primary channel for conducting business, it will be imperative for organisations to invest in Customer Experience Management (CXM) and develop agile online engagement models which are adaptable to the evolving market situation and the resulting consumer concerns — to unlock lasting success”.

During the lockdown, 58% of consumers increased their online shopping frequency while three quarters (74%) cited an intention to change their future shopping habits – with Indian and Singaporean consumers reporting the strongest intention.

With respect to categories, consumers reported an increase in purchase frequency for groceries (36% buying more) and media (26% buying more) while clothing (65% not buying or buying less) and home improvements (60% not buying or buying less) faced the steepest decline. Despite COVID-19, close to three quarters of consumers surveyed opted to purchase groceries (70%), health/ beauty products (54%), and home improvements (52%) in-person, relying on home delivery for products such as food (61%) and books (55%).

COVID-19 has impacted consumers’ everyday lives and habits. More than three-fifths of consumers (67%) expressed concern about the overall impact of the pandemic. Chief amongst these concerns were personal health (73%), job vulnerability (40%) and the economy (36%).

Nearly all consumers (94%) cited at least one positive aspect of being at home, with family time (49%) being reported most frequently. The same number cited at least one negative aspect wherein isolation (26%), and work-life balance (24%) were most common.

While almost all consumers (95%) surveyed are willing to wait out the continued restrictions, only 61% agree with the continued lockdown measures, signalling an eagerness to resume life per normal.

Local retail has amassed support from consumers during COVID-19 with 60% preferring to engage with small businesses and online retailers over national retailers, and 75% saying that they support small businesses in their respective capacities. Among all countries surveyed, Indian consumers (88%) were the most likely to support small businesses.

Two-thirds of consumers agree that brands are communicating just the right amount, while interestingly, nearly one in five (16%) believe that brands are not communicating enough. Over half (55%) of the consumers suggested they find utility in brand-related COVID-19 updates, with 69% requesting said updates in the near future. Indian (73%) and Chinese (67%) consumers were most likely to find these updates useful.

“It is good to note that brand sentiment has remained relatively positive even with COVID-19 relaying the rules of engagement. Moving ahead, it will be essential for businesses to continue communicating their brand utility with empathy to build consumer trust and dependability in the long run,” added Nitin.

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