Need for a New Marketing Blue Print for a Pandemic Induced New Normal

Abstract

This paper aims to present a commentary on the impact Covid19 had on consumers and the resulting shifts in the consumption patterns. By reviewing the existing literature on this novel topic and conducting focus group interviews, the authors have attempted to present a succinct overview of the changes in consumer behaviour.

After the World Health Organization declared the COVID 19 as a global pandemic, the healthcare crisis soon turned out to be an economic challenge as governments around the world initiated lockdowns of business and national and regional boundaries. As citizens were confined to their homes, new patterns of consumption behaviour started to emerge. Demand for new types of products and services meant that organizations had to display agility in their strategy formulation. The never before seen economic shutdown posed challenges for organizations that some were not prepared for. This paper also explores some of the challenges and opportunities these changes presented to organizations, particularly the global marketing domain. Organizations soon had to adapt to the new rules of social distancing and invent strategies to ensure survival and customer retention and growth. The paper also presents an overview of certain strategies that marketers can adapt to steer their organizations through the post COVID world.