“Exploring how the COVID-19 outbreak affects consumer buying behaviour within South Africa.”

Abstract

COVID-19 has had an impact on consumer buying behaviours towards various brands (Criteo, 2020). Some brands have struggled to cope and survive due to the unpredictable consumer buying behaviours and economic turmoil caused by COVID- 19 (Accenture, 2020). This research examined how the global pandemic was affecting the buying decisions of consumers. Maslow’s Motivation-Need Theory was used to aid this research and explore consumer needs as well as gain a deeper understanding of consumer purchase decisions based on the needs of consumers. The research that was conducted was exploratory qualitative research. In-depth online interviews were conducted on 4 participants which helped the researcher to further understand the phenomenon based on respondents’ subjective views. The responses were further analysed using the thematic analysis and the findings revealed that consumers prioritise lower-level needs (basic needs) when facing uncertain events such as the COVID-19 global pandemic. Furthermore, this research provided insight as to how South Africa brands can survive, adapt and flourish in the unforeseen COVID-19 global pandemic.