The Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey, for which PwC surveyed more than 8.700 consumers in 22 countries, demonstrates that the pandemic and the lockdown associated with it have noticeably changed the purchasing behaviour of consumers across the EU. People are shopping more and more online regardless of their age. In the fashion sector, almost every second consumer (46 percent) now covers their needs mainly on the Internet. When it comes to electronics, more than one in three (38 percent) prefer online shopping to traditional in-store shopping. Shopping on the Internet is particularly popular with millennials, i.e. the age group of 25 to 39 year olds. According to the survey, not only online retail benefited from the pandemic, but also local retailers in the districts away from the city centres. People in home office in particular like to shop around the corner.
According to the survey, the topic of sustainability has also become more important for people in the pandemic. More than half of the respondents (56 percent) stated that they should look for products with environmentally friendly or reduced packaging when shopping. Around 47 percent say they prefer purchasing companies “that are committed to environmental protection”. One in four respondents (26 percent) said they were willing to pay a higher price for ethical practices and sustainable production of food, fashion and consumer goods. (Source: Lebensmittel Zeitung).
COVID-19 update 66 – 13/05-04/06/2021