As part of their study, The Commercial Shift: The Recovery, Leger and lg2 are revealing the different COVID-19 personalities.
This study, conducted in four phases from April 3, 2020 to April 25, 2021, among more than 4,000 Canadians, analyzes the changes in Canadian consumers’ attitudes and behaviours following the COVID-19 crisis. In particular, it answers the questions, “Who are the new segments that have emerged with the economic and social recovery, and how has the COVID-19 crisis impacted their consumption?”
To discover the 6 segments, read on!
THE 6 COVID-19 PERSONALITIES
For some, recovery represents renewal: more than half (53%) of Canadians say they have changed for the better during the crisis and want to maintain their new habits. They have a better life and do not want to go backwards. For others, however, the recovery represents hope for a return to their pre-pandemic lives. Which group do you belong to?
THE EUPHORIC
Represents 9% of the Canadian population
Your motto: Exaltation
“Finally!”
No other word can better sum up your state of mind. You strongly feel that the pandemic has stolen a year of your life. Your game plan: put your savings into experiences and purchases that will allow you to live your life at two hundred miles per hour right away. Dining out, travelling, entertaining, partying and going out…you’ll be among the first to do it, and you’ll do it big!
This trend to compensate by consuming has been going on since the beginning of the pandemic: online purchases of sporting goods, clothing, entertainment services, video games, appliances, home improvement items, etc. This behaviour will accelerate as you return to your pre-pandemic life.
You will be an important consumer for companies…as long as they can deliver vibrant experiences! And don’t let us talk to you about the long term…we’ll bore you.
THE COMFORTABLE
Represents 21% of the Canadian population
Your motto: Well-being
“Stability and zen”
While some people have been completely thrown off balance by the crisis, you are convinced that you have changed for the better.
Putting your life on hold has made you aware of the importance of balance and being at home, so you’ve taken the opportunity to make your home even cozier. You’ve renovated, bought furniture and improved your indoor and outdoor living spaces, especially to make working from home more enjoyable.
You take advantage of online solutions that simplify organizing your life, such as ordering products online, picking them up in-store or consulting all kinds of experts online, from health professionals to financial advisors.
You also appreciate the digital entertainment you can enjoy at home, such as consuming content, listening to concerts online or playing video games. On the other hand, to maintain your zen, you have stayed away from social media.
You have also made it your mission to improve your immediate living environment. You now consider it more important to get involved in your community and believe in talking even more about buying local…while consuming local, which you will do.
Although you’ve refocused on yourself, you won’t isolate yourself from society. You’re looking forward to catching up with friends, going out to dinner and enjoying the benefits of pre-pandemic life! That said, it is likely that you will be aiming for a hybrid lifestyle, halfway between excitement and tranquility, combining aspects of pre- and post-pandemic life.
THE APPREHENSIVE
Represents 24% of the Canadian population
Your motto: Protection
“I want to protect myself from the transmission of the virus!”
You have been deeply affected by the risk COVID-19 poses to your health.
Now, you avoid human contact, invest in your well-being at home and prefer shopping online for your purchases. You’ll have as much of your shopping delivered as possible, take advantage of in-store pickup instead of in-person shopping, and use online grocery services whenever possible. You’ll even continue to wash your food when it arrives at your home.
When you do have to visit a store physically, you will prefer locations where you know you will find everything you want in one place, where public health measures will be strongly enforced and where human contact will be limited.
In addition, because you don’t want to be surrounded by people you don’t know, you tend to avoid eating out, going to the movies, seeing shows, or travelling. Your ideal holiday? Isolated in a cottage.
In short, you don’t expect to be back to normal any time soon; at best, in 2023.
THE STEADFAST
Represents 13% of the Canadian population
Your motto: Patience
“The crisis has not changed me.”
Your lifestyle is among the least affected by the pandemic. What you did before, you plan to do again afterwards, quite simply.
When you have a purchase to make, you go to the store. You did not buy many essentials online during the pandemic, nor consume much online entertainment. You didn’t adopt new behaviours, discover new passions, or change your eating habits.
You were less affected by the health panic of the early days. You continued to receive bills in the mail, pay with cash and you didn’t wash your groceries! But this does not make you a bad public health student: you strongly adhere to the key public health measures.
Although you may have missed your loved ones and family, your social life has not gone digital. You have socialized little (if at all) virtually. Away from the crowds, you are most looking forward to having friends over, going to restaurants and, most commonly, going to shopping centres. For everything else, you intend to wait quite a while to make sure that the activities are risk-free.
THE SELF-STARTER
Represents 23% of the Canadian population
Your motto: Solutions
“I want my money’s worth!”
The pandemic has had a large financial impact on you. Many of your efforts have been spent on finding solutions to the lack of resources, and managing your household has made you tired.
You have been gardening, cooking with basic ingredients, making your own household products and caring for your home. As a self-starter, you are supportive: you care about buying local in all product categories.
Even though you watch your finances, you are willing to spend money to lighten your mental load and fulfill your need to get away from it all! You’ve discovered boxed lunches, online shopping for candies and coffee and you’ve been ordering from restaurants more often. You have also been ordering alcohol and lottery tickets online more often.
The pandemic has forced you to change your diet, and you report gaining weight. You are more anxious and depressed than before and want to spend your time at home. However, this state seems temporary. You look forward to participating in a variety of social activities as soon as possible!
Skeptical, you rely on yourself to improve your situation. You are preparing to return to your normal life, or even to make up for lost time.
THE SHATTERED
Represents 10% of the Canadian population
Your motto: Overwhelmed
“The crisis has changed me.”
You are among the people most affected by the pandemic. You have a heightened fear of the virus that makes you want to stay isolated, your mental health has been negatively impacted, and your financial constraints are making it even more difficult for you to get through the crisis.
Your life has been turned upside down. You have put many of your behaviours on hold (ordering food, shopping online) and increased the activities you can do alone at home.
For you, the vaccine is not a passport back to normalcy. Instead, you intend to continue strongly adhering to many of the public health measures. You have found some satisfaction in socializing online. You approach resuming social activities with apprehension and will therefore wait a long time before gathering in person in a group; until you are sure you are not at risk. You consume a lot of live news and do so more than before. You feel worried, depressed, anxious and tired.
You acknowledge that it will be difficult to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
What is your COVID-19 personality? Are you The Apprehensive, or does The Self-Starter seem more like you?
Sign up for LEO and take our quiz to find out: Your COVID-19 Personality.
ALREADY A MEMBER? TAKE THE QUIZ HERE.
Don’t forget to share which COVID-19 personality you are in the comments below!
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