A new report, “COVID-19 Shopper Priorities and Experience Survey” by Retail Artificial Intelligence Solutions Provider CB4, offers key takeaways for essential retailers during the pandemic. The online survey of 1,108 brick-and-mortar retail shoppers across the U.S., conducted April 2-5, 2020, shares insights into how shoppers are perceiving their in-store experiences during the pandemic, and what their expectations are during this unique and challenging time.
As of the first week of April, most shoppers were taking bi-weekly trips to at least one store. Some 53.2% of shoppers reported visiting a store in the last one to three days, while 24.2% had visited a store in the last four to seven days. Going forward, most respondents said they plan to go out to shop once a week. Only 6.2% don’t plan to shop in stores at all.
The most sought-after products for convenience store shoppers were sanitizing products, household basics (like toilet paper and paper towels) and shelf-stable foods. Most shoppers chose to shop in a given c-store based on which location they believed was the cleanest and most sanitized. Their next consideration was loyalty, followed by which store they thought would have the products they wanted to buy.
Fear Factor
Shoppers in the West South Central Region are the most fearful of shopping in stores during the pandemic, followed by shoppers in the Mid Atlantic. Shoppers in the Mountain Region are the least fearful. Customers who watch the news multiple times a day or are active on social media are the most afraid of visiting stores, compared to shoppers who are inactive on social media and don’t watch the news or only watch the news every few days.