The Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behavior

Abstract

Pandemic is not a new type of outbreak. COVID-19 is the fifth such documented occurrence in the last century (World Economic Forum [WET], 2020), with total number of confirmed cases being over one million worldwide. During the last two decades alone, the world has witnessed SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in Hong Kong, Ebola in Sierra Leone, and Zika in Brazil. Table 3.1 lists the timeline of some of the major pandemics. Naturally, COVID-19 has created an unprecedented situation for consumers, retailers and governments, as they are compelled to go online and operate under the public health and safety guidelines such as lockdown, social distancing, and sanitization measures, among others.