Post covid world and consumer behavior in apparel industry

Abstract

In the wake of recent outbreak of Covid-19 all over the globe resulted in sudden shocks in consumer preferences, global supply chains and retailing space. Therefore, we are studying the implications of large-scale jitter in the apparel industry and gauge the consumer behavior in buying clothing items thereof. We observed from various newspaper articles, consulting reports and research journals that customers are increasingly turning online to fill the vacuum of retail space created due to lockdowns. We also observed that the spending is more for products related to basic necessities and value for money buying than premium apparels. This combined with the shift in green ways living and sustainability in the lifestyles. Hence, to test these hypotheses we conducted an experiment between treatment and control groups to understand customer behavior when put in the respective situations. After the experiment and data analysis we registered significant difference in likelihood of customer purchase for retail shops than the online websites. We also found a significant awareness among the respondents for sustainable clothing to conserve the resources. However, the brand loyalty stays intact even after the pandemic and can be leveraged to increase lifetime value for the customers associated and keeping them engaged.