Covid-19 has transformed how we live, but it has not fully changed our mindset as consumers. This week’s blog focuses on what UK consumers talked about last week, and how these conversations continue to shift.
Uncertainty over holiday plans and cutting back on expenses are weighing on consumers’ minds
As Spring comes into full force, it is a natural progression to begin thinking about summer holidays. As our data show, “holidays or travel plans” rose by roughly 6 percentage points two weeks ending the 3rd of May since the prior two-week period. However, this is no ordinary year. These discussions are more than likely a reflection of topics such as securing credit for a planned summer holiday, news surrounding the travel industry, and perhaps just general discussions about “future” holidays, just to aid in well-being.
At the same time, we are also seeing consumers engaging in more discussions about cutting back on their expenses as financial uncertainty weighs on consumers’ minds.
Uncertainty still taints consumers most impactful conversations
In the most recent week, around one-in-three Britons described their most impactful conversation as relating to Covid-19/Coronavirus. This figure is below what was seen in late March/early April, and on par with the prior week. Here is a small sampling of respondents’ descriptions of these impactful conversations:
- “COVID-19 how we are all stuck in the same hamster wheel and how people deal with it.”
- “Many people are still ignorant to mental health and don't treat it seriously in this Covid 19 situation. We should [be] more cautious about it.”
- “A phone call to my son, James asking how he was getting on in light of the situation we find ourselves. Covid 19 He is still working and comes into contact with other people and that worries me. Isolation by yourself is difficult!!”
- “It was with my dad about the coronavirus, we were discussing everything about it, PPE for the health care workers, about my cousin who has it, I was telling him my cousin had been given oxygen at home. About the fruit and vegetables that are not getting harvested at home and in other countries. We were talking about the people in care homes, the latest things Donald Trump is claiming so Coronavirus impacted me the most.”
Stuck at home, consumers talking more about Home Brands and Drinks, while Travel also climbed as holiday uncertainty and decisions loom
We are seeing an uptick in discussions about home brands and drinks during the current period. Travel brands are also on the rise during this period as consumers begin making decisions about summer holidays amidst news about travel brands suspending holidays until the summer (i.e. TUI/mid-June, Ryanair/July).
Apart from these three categories, most other categories have declined or remained on par with the previous period.
We will continue to update you on the impact of COVID-19 on Britain, and in the meanwhile we encourage you to contact us with any questions or if we can be of further assistance.
If your company has a COVID team at work, and we can assist with unique data (offline as well as online social intelligence), or if you wish to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on your brand or your category, we invite you to reach out to us.
In the meantime, stay safe and healthy!
