Consumer Coping Strategies Within a Shopping Context During a Pandemic

Öz

The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially transformed consumer behaviour and caused dramatic changes in individuals' shopping behaviour. Consumers had to develop diverse strategies to cope with uncertainty and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines the coping strategies adopted by consumers in Türkiye during the pandemic within the context of shopping. The study focuses on the coping strategies preferred by the consumers and the differences in these strategies considering the demographic characteristics of the consumers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 60 participants and content analysis was used to analyse data. The findings show that participants adopted various coping mechanisms related to search–process management, simplify, defer, plan, and emotion-focused strategies, where the latest two were the most frequent. In addition, demographic factors were found to play an important role in strategy preferences. This research provides theoretical contributions to the literature of consumer behaviour and to retail businesses in developing strategies to meet consumer needs in times of crisis.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Coping strategies
• COVID-19
• Shopping
• Qualitative research
• QDA Miner.

Pandemi Sürecinde Tüketicilerin Alışveriş Bağlamında Geliştirdikleri Başa Çıkma Stratejileri

Öz

COVID-19 pandemisi, tüketici davranışlarını önemli ölçüde etkilemiş ve bireylerin alışveriş davranışlarında ciddi değişimlere neden olmuştur. Tüketiciler, pandemi süresince belirsizlik ve stresle başa çıkabilmek için çeşitli stratejiler geliştirmişlerdir. Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de tüketicilerin pandemi sürecinde benimsemiş oldukları alışveriş bağlamındaki başa çıkma stratejilerini incelemektedir. Çalışma, tüketicilerin hangi başa çıkma stratejilerini tercih ettiklerini ve bu stratejilerin demografik özellikler açısından oluşan farklılıklarına odaklanmaktadır. Çalışma kapsamında 60 katılımcı ile derinlemesine mülakatlar gerçekleştirilmiş ve veri analizinde içerik analizi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, arama-süreç yönetimi, basitleştirme, erteleme, planlama ve duygusal odaklı stratejilerin tercih edilen başa çıkma yöntemleri olduğunu ve son ikisinin en sık başvurulan olduğunu göstermektedir. Ayrıca, demografik faktörlerin strateji tercihlerinde önemli bir rol oynadığı belirlenmiştir. Bu araştırma, tüketici davranışları yazınına teorik katkılar sunmanın yanı sıra perakende sektöründeki işletmelere kriz dönemlerinde tüketici ihtiyaçlarına yönelik stratejiler geliştirme konusunda da yol gösterici niteliktedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Başa çıkma stratejileri
• COVID-19
• Alışveriş
• Nitel araştırma
• QDA Miner.

Kaynakça

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