CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR CHANGES DURING TIMES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON SLOVAK CONSUMERS

The humankind finds itself facing unparalleled situation since the worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 created significant changes in societies worldwide. This paper aims to assess the initial response of consumers in the Slovak Republic during the early stages of the outbreak and emerged challenges for entrepreneurships. Major pandemics were proven to be a catalyst of changes in societies and economies. The main aim of this research was to examine the impacts of COVID-19 outbreak on consumers’ behaviour and draw recommendations for entrepreneurs. A survey was conducted as a method to collect data from consumers creating a representative sample of the population of the Slovak Republic. The rate of consumption has significantly increased when compared before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings show how people of different age, gender and income altered their shopping habits and how the factors influencing their consumers’ behaviour changed during this situation. This paper presents one of the first studies on consumer behaviour of Slovak consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic creating a unique image of new reality and emphasizing new trends that will become significant factors of success of entrepreneurs in the near future. It shares practical experiences which can enable organizations to understand consumer behaviour influenced by COVID-19 Pandemic, to investigate novel needs of their customers and to adapt their business to the situation. Some findings such as the increase in need for safety could had been expected, however changes in importance of some factor such as the drastic decrease in brand loyalty or the influence of colleagues, friends and previous experiences with products were surprising. Findings from this study provide useful information for all entrepreneurs that need to understand how their customers have changed and what new demands may arise in the aftermath of this crisis.