TEMPE, Ariz. (May 8, 2020) – A new study from the market research team at Zion & Zion, a top-ranked, full-service, national marketing agency, investigates how COVID-19 has affected consumer habits, including both short and long-term brand switching and online grocery shopping. The study also reveals the timeframes of people’s comfort with returning to patronize various types of businesses, attend various types of events, and engage in various types of travel-related activities, post-COVID-19.

Some noteworthy findings of the Zion & Zion study are as follows:

  • While consumer trial of new brands was high due to product shortages brought on by COVID-19, 53.0% to 70.8% (depending upon the product category) of consumers that were forced to trial new brands expect to continue to use the new brand once the COVID-19 situation subsides.
  • After COVID-19, in-store grocery shopping is expected to drop dramatically, from the 82.5% of people that shopped primarily in-store pre-COVID-19 to an expected 65.5% post-COVID-19. Meanwhile online grocery shopping is expected to grow from its pre-COVID-19 levels, with online ordering for delivery projected to more than double and online ordering for pick-up projected to nearly double.
  • Americans are almost as reluctant to return to air travel immediately or within one month (27.8%), as they are to return to cruises (29.4%).

The full research report is available here: COVID-19, Brand Switching and Changing Consumer Habits

This Zion & Zion research study was based on a nationwide survey of 509 consumers. The data was collected between Friday, May 1, 2020 and Monday, May 4, 2020, when most states’ stay-at-home orders were still in effect. The author of this study is Malory Knutson, a member of the market research team at Zion & Zion.