National Survey Tracks 18 Day-to-Day Consumer Activities
The pandemic is having significant effects on what was traditionally thought to be typical day-to-day consumer behavior, according to a newly completed Coronavirus lifestyle survey.
Nearly eighty percent (78%) of the 18 daily activities surveyed showed significant increases in consumer participation due to the coronavirus and social, economic, and global disruption.
The study was conducted by Brand Keys, the New York-based brand loyalty and customer engagement research consultancy (www.brandkeys.com) and TheCustomer (www.TheCustomer.net) the only daily publication covering intelligence from the customer insight universe, in conjunction with Suzy (www.suzy.com), the on-demand consumer research software platform. 
A Defining Moment Defines Everyday Life
The coronavirus pandemic and social disruption has had a profound impact on daily life. “Some changes are self-evident, and all are COVID-19 cause-and-effects,” said Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and president, “But they will ultimately change the consumer lifestyle and brand loyalty trajectory.”
Daily and generally routine activities have been upended, with consumers indicating much higher levels of the following:
- Working from home (+34%)
- Online activities (excluding shopping) (+26%)
- Watching movies (+23%)
- Watching news shows ((19%)
- Shopping Online (+17%)
- Texting (+16%)
- Eating (+15%)
- Personal Care (+15%)
- Making personal phone calls (+15%)
- Managing daily tasks (+13%
- Snacking (13%+
- Sleeping (+12%)
- Exercising (+11%)
- Sexual intimacy (+8%)
- Drinking alcohol (+6%)
- Social (Distant) Interactions (+6%)
- Shopping (brick-and-mortar) (+4%)
The New, ‘New Normal’
“We recognize that the coronavirus is fashioning a ‘new normal’ as regards compulsory, volunteer, and invented behavior on the part of the consumer,” noted Robert Passikoff, “We’d normally look at brands first, but it’s premature to ask about changes in brand preference and purchase activities when the customer paradigm is bound to be altered.”
“We believe that changes in consumer behavior will both identify and create the landscape in which brands will ultimately have to compete. Emotional engagement comes before any meaningful market activation. Tracking panic buying – bleach, hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, toilet paper, or canned soup – does not truly portray consumer loyalty or brand engagement, said Mike Giambattista, publisher of TheCustomer, “but lifestyle changes point to significant upheaval”.
This Is Not The Great Depression
Economists have been using the analogy of the Great Depression regarding the coronavirus and anticipated changes to the consumers’ world-view, beliefs, and behaviors. “But when it comes to consumers and the customer paradigm, we’re dealing with a vastly different standard in the 21st century,” noted Passikoff. “Many consumers were born hot-wired to the Internet. Everybody has a smartphone, and consumers talk to each other before they talk to brands.”
“Things happen quickly. Social and economic change come from many places, but the coronavirus crisis will change world views, lifestyle, financial, and social archetypes. It has already changed nearly everything in our lives, changes that are both collective and cross-generational”, said Giambattista
This wave of research was just the first in a series of coronavirus lifestyle surveys. Brand Keys, TheCustomer, and Suzy will continue to survey and report on what’s really on the horizon and how you and your brand can navigate this new landscape.
Methodology
The coronavirus lifestyle survey and analysis were conducted the week of March 30, 2020. This week’s Wave 1 findings are based on 1,000 total responses from a U.S. panel population, ages 17-73 with a 50/50 gender split. The survey will be conducted on a weekly basis.
