Pandemic Sentiment Shifts From 'Acute' To 'Transitory,' Here's What Consumers Want From Brands

Consumers are shifting from an "acute" phase of concern about the pandemic to a "transitory" phase that will ultimately lead to "normalcy," top analysts at market researcher Global Web Index said late Tuesday during a press preview of their latest wave of COVID-19 tracking studies.

The new findings, based on a third wave surveying more that 15,000 people April 22-27, show that both "global" and "local" concerns about the disease appear to have stabilized among consumers worldwide and in the U.S. (see above), and that the new normal will nonetheless suggest some fundamental changes for both brand marketers and consumers.

The briefing, which covered a wide range of consumer attitudes about their health, security, economics and finances as well as products and brands, also reaffirmed a variety of consumer tracking studies indicating that most consumers want brands to advertise normally.

Fifty-six percent of consumers across the national markets surveyed said they approve of brands advertising as normal -- a number that dips slightly to 49% in the U.S.

Asked what brands should do to help with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, economics loomed large, as did the supply chain.

Eighty percent of consumers worldwide, and 73% of Americans, said they believe brand marketers should offer flexible payment terms for purchasing their products, while 71% of consumers worldwide and 68% of Americans said they should offer lower-cost versions of their products and services.

Three-quarters of consumers want brands to help produce "essential" products and services that are necessary for society, while Americans are much more in favor than the rest of the world of wanting brands to continue producing non-essentials.

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