Looking into shopping behavior and attitudes during the early transition phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

As Covid-19 vaccination in the U.S. begins and hopes of a gradual return to normalcy are raised after much disruption in the shopping behavior of consumers, there is a need to examine consumers’ shopping patterns at different stages of the pandemic to adequately understand the potential impacts on shopping behavior. This study explored the shopping behavior of Florida residents during the early transition phase of the pandemic, using data collected from an online survey from February to April 2021. A comprehensive analysis was conducted examining the shopping patterns in terms of purchase frequency, expenditure, and shopping trip distance as well as individuals’ shopping attitudes. Further analysis of the shopping behavior was also carried out to investigate whether and how key demographic variables, including age, income, and gender, might be associated with their shopping patterns and attitudes. The analysis reveals that finding and comparing products were big motivators for using online shopping, while concerns about putting personal information online, shipping costs, and the return process may discourage online shopping. Women spent less than men but had significantly higher purchase frequencies than men. People generally liked shopping without interacting with anyone, which suggests that in-store shopping was not necessarily motivated by the need for social interactions. However, price, safety, and parking availability were the top factors in choosing the stores to shop from. Thus, urban and transportation planners should promote compact, mixed-use development and parking management strategies to reduce vehicle shopping trips and the need for separate trips for different purposes.