Coronavirus and social distancing are affecting consumers’ daily lives in profound ways. Virtual experiences are usurping in-person experiences. E-commerce and home delivery have filled the void left by closed or virus-risky stores. Home cooking and takeout have supplanted once-thriving restaurants. Streaming video has temporarily achieved total victory over its theatrical cinema competition. Obsession with hygiene has overtaken other factors (e.g. local, eco-friendly) in driving consumer choices. When the crisis passes, will people revert to their prior ways, or will some of the crisis-induced behaviors persist? How will this recovery differ from prior recoveries?
This Town Hall shared insights on what the massive crisis-induced changes could mean for longer-term consumer behaviors and social norms.