3 Lasting Consumer Behavior Changes
As we head into 2021, we are grappling with what a second of year of the pandemic will look like. While we were hoping the impact of Covid-19 would be limited to 2020 and the approval of a vaccine would be like a light switch to return to normal, there is much in 2021 to reconcile. And, what is normal now? So many ‘norms’ have been broken, so many lives and routines altered, customs and rituals re-engineered that it feels in many ways we have changed behaviors for the long-term. As we review reports from Mintel, WGSN, and various news and trend outlets throughout the year, we also turned inside the “walls” of Ultra to ask what changes Ultralites have made, and what is likely to stick? Here are the three behavior shifts we’ve observed, lived and are reading about.
Sustainability as Necessity
Consumers have been generally making more eco-conscious choices in their daily lives, but it is typically viewed through a moral or ethical lens. The pandemic has revealed a more pragmatic side to sustainability that appeals to a mainstream consumer. When we don’t have paper towels, plastic bags and staple food products readily available to us, we’re forced to improvise and ‘make do’ not only with what we have, but to make it last longer. We’ve first seen this in action by way of consumers investing in reusable items that are typically disposable. Instead of paper towels, old linens, washable (then compostable) Swedish dishclothes and washable towel rolls are taking its place. We’ve started to move from plastic wrap to beeswax wrap, from plastic baggies to reusable silicone bags, and saving plastic baggies and glass jars for a second life in the home. The second action of eco-conscious decision-making has been in reframing how we use food, taking on the concept of head-to-tail cooking in our kitchens: How can every part of a cut of meat or vegetable be used and possibly reused so there is no waste? We’ve seen food scraps repurposed into homemade stocks, composted for those new veggie gardens planted earlier this year, and thrown into “fridge raid” meals like this Whatever You Want Soup. The pandemic has brought our awareness of waste and newer trends in sustainability to the forefront out of necessity, showing us that it is no longer an ethical stance but a practical measure.
Home Is Life
For those working from home, have distance-learners or are restricting their activities due to Covid-19, the home is where everything happens: work, school, family life, entertainment, fitness, self-care, physical therapy and eating. We used to bounce around all of these different places with different people and different goods or services but are now are restricted to only a few places that now have the effect of Groundhog Day. But that hasn’t stopped us from carrying on as needed to take care of our businesses and careers, family and self. Home offices or intimate spaces have been set up with newly purchased ring lights, desks, and comfy office chairs. Open concept homes are being reimagined now and for the future, suburbs are getting a second look from urbanites, and outdoor spaces given a renewed interest with outside living, kitchen and kid play spaces. Fitness, which was for many a destination activity, has been turned on its head entirely, revealing to many the benefits of a minimal commute time to the next room for a workout. Newly purchased Peletons, Mirrors, and Nordic Tracks have been set up in basements (next to new kid bounce houses and indoor swings) and unexpected rooms double as a workout space. At the end of the day, we tend to a little self-care, purchasing candles to make our homes smell like a sanctuary and buy mani-pedi sets that provide a mental break from, rather than a reminder, that we are living through a pandemic. We gather with family around the table and on Zoom to play board games and new interactive/reactive ones, giving us the chance to unwind, be entertained and reconnect. While many of these activities will in some way take the shape it did prior to the pandemic (work and school especially), it shows the ways in which our home can accommodate for so much more of the work we do in our daily lives. Expect to see the appreciation we have for outdoor spaces, the way technology can connect us from afar and how games can bond and entertain us as three areas that will influence our home lives moving forward.
Brand Loyalty Trialing Direct-to-Consumer Brands
If, at the beginning of the pandemic you couldn’t find a specific product in stores, you probably went to Amazon and then without any luck there discovered a whole new world of direct-to-consumer brands. Or at least that’s what we’ve been up to. Quip supplied us with toothbrushes and toothpaste; Peach and Who Gives a Crap were a relied upon outlet for in-demand toilet paper; Hello Fresh, Imperfect Foods and MisFit foods gave us groceries; Maleleuca and Blueland had household products when no one else did; and Kiwi Crates kept the kiddos entertained. While there is a premium on buying products from new direct-to-consumer brands, retailers started charging premium prices for products in limited supply, creating a cost equation that evened the playing field. In the end, when supplies were found in-stock, could be delivered to the home, and provided something new to talk about at the next dinner party (sigh, dinner parties), these brands have pivoted from special to specialty. For those individuals who have found joy in not stepping foot into a retailer these past nine months and have found a price/value equation that works for them, they might not be turning back to brick and mortar or everyday household brands after this.
Like 2020, 2021 will bring about new challenges, changes and insights that will influence what norms we return to and which ones are upended for the long-term. Brands continually thinking about the experience of their product or service within the home and how it helps them stay in front of or in control of unexpected changes will help consumers and affirm brand relevancy.