What Does The Post COVID Consumer Look Like?

Consumer habits have certainly shifted since the outbreak of COVID-19. From customers' priorities, to how and where they spend their time, and what they think and feel. All of this has undoubtedly influenced their spending behaviour. We can expect to see this shift in priorities in a post-COVID world, too.

So, what shopping trends, behaviours and habits do I predict we'll see in the post-COVID consumer?

See my full list below:

Mindful, frugal, sustainable shoppers

The financial effects that COVID 19 has had on the consumers' pocket has been devastating, making consumers more frugal, price and value-conscious (with essential items being more of a priority) and more aware of environmental and social sustainability. I suspect we will see this trend continuing into 2021 and beyond.

Supporting small and local online businesses

More and more small businesses popped up as South Africans tried to be resourceful by turning their hobbies and talents into small businesses as a way to make extra money to make ends meet during the pandemic. In addition to this, existing small to medium companies have been forced to go digital to compete during the lockdown.

As a result, we can expect to see more businesses become e-commerce enabled and invest in some digital marketing spend to ensure their brand gets noticed as consumers have built up more confidence in shopping online.

Customers are less likely to want to shop in busy stores, particularly over the festive season, Black Friday and other times when malls and shops are incredibly busy.

Contactless delivery and payment methods

During the pandemic, we got used to contactless methods of delivery when purchasing items online. We also got accustomed to having to forego carrying cash in favour of snap scan, EFT and credit or debit card payments.

As sanitization and social distancing have been on our minds for months, we can expect to see this trend continue long past the effects of COVID.

New important target markets have emerged

There certainly has been a bit of a Coronavirus baby boom since the initial lockdown started, which brings new parents and first-time parents target market.

In addition to the new parent's target market, other target markets we suspect will emerge weddings to happen in 2021 (with all the new engagements that happened in quarantine, as well as all the postponed weddings during the pandemic) as well as newly divorced or broken up, and sadly grieving families – all of which come with a host of needs for certain services.

Two more distinct target markets to emerge

As consumers have adjusted to life in lockdown and the "new normal", two very opposing target audiences have emerged.

Let's call the first group the "cabin fever quarantines".

This group has had a bad case of cabin fever and will resort to travelling, dining out more and being more social than ever post-COVID.

• We'll call the second target audience the "homebound COVID consumer".

This group has adjusted to life in lockdown pretty well, enjoy working from home, favour socializing at home rather than going out, and cooking or dining in over going out. They may have also taken to online courses, fitness videos, and video consumption pertaining to their hobbies and interests.

We suspect these two opposing target audiences to continue long after lockdown, which opens up a great variety of marketing and business potential within these new behaviour traits.

Creating new customer experiences

All of the above behaviours and key traits provide corporates, businesses and marketers alike with great insight into who we are marketing to, how their behaviour has changed and how we should be reaching them in a post-COVID world. I suggest onboarding a marketing agency - no matter how small your B2B, B2C or marketing budget - as this will result in tried and tested results.

About the author

Zanthe is a former designer and HTML web developer turned digital marketer based in Johannesburg with an acute eye for detail and a creative spark, she decided to pursue a career in graphic design. After qualifying, she worked as a designer and developer for a few years and then began studying marketing whereafter she found her niche in digital marketing.

Zanthe has since been doing digital marketing work on some big brands such as ABSA, Russell Hobbs, Danone Brands, as well as non-profit organizations and now works as the New Business Manager at Arc Interactive based in Johannesburg.

When she isn't glued to her computer screen - blogging or making the digital connection between her clients and their customers, she spends time playing with her two cats, stays active, keeps her finger on the pulse regarding the latest trends in fashion and food, and tries hard not to be the worlds worst tennis player.

If you need any digital marketing tips or help marketing your specific business to ensure brand awareness, engage with your audience or boost new sales or signups during this critical time, reach out to us on www.arcinteractive.co.

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Recommended reading

If you enjoyed this post and have a little extra time to dive deeper down the rabbit hole, why not check out the following posts on content marketing.

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Tags: Covid 19 , Consumer Behaviour , Guest Post