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The Corona pandemic, among many other things, has profoundly changed people’s attitudes toward retail. Online has become “normal” for many, stores have to come up with something to bring people back. Trust in well-known brands has also dropped significantly, according to a survey of 1,000 Austrians by Dieter Scharitzer, WU professor at the Institute of Marketing Management.
However, there is no uniform development, Scharitzer said in an interview with APA. One has to consider that about one third of the respondents have less money at their disposal than before the pandemic – one fifth have more money. Retailers would therefore be well advised to differentiate their sales strategies.
What is essential, however, is that digital shopping has “arrived in the middle of society,” according to Scharitzer: “Online is the new normal, stationary shopping the experience,” thus attitudes have turned around. Online retail is here to stay, he said, with 98 percent of those surveyed wanting to maintain their new onlline habits. Some industries that still fully rely on brick-and-mortar stores will have to adapt quickly. “Zalando and co have finally succeeded in pulling people away from stores”. Scharitzer also does not believe that the old concept of people going shopping will return, because seven out of ten now prefer to spend their leisure time doing something other than shopping.
“Highest agreement” has the statement that the trade does not compete with other retailers, but with leisure activities. The pure supply purchase had landed in the Internet anyway. But many people in Austria would now rather do sports or go to an inn than go shopping, shows the survey by TQS Research & Consulting, representative of Internet-savvy.
At the same time, Scharitzer notes that trust in and loyalty to brands have suffered greatly in the pandemic. “The quality of the brand is questioned very strongly,” even seals of approval such as “made in Austria” do not automatically stand for quality among customers. This applies not only to companies but also to “made in Austria” – the disaster surrounding masks from Hygiene Austria could also be partly to blame. Four out of five people assume that retailers’ own brands are just as good as manufacturers’ brands.
Scharitzer says it’s also noticeable that sustainability and greening is a strong trend. That’s the only topic area that’s more important than before the pandemic, he said, and the trend is “clearly female and younger.” Around a quarter of respondents would also be willing to pay more for sustainable products, while just over half find the topic important but would not want to spend more money because of it. The topic is not important to one-fifth. The willingness to pay is a good value “for a start,” says Scharitzer, who assumes that environmental awareness will also be increasingly reflected in purchasing decisions as the range of products on offer increases.
- source: k.at/picture: pixabay.com
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