Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategies during Crises
Summary
During crises such as pandemics, natural disasters or economic shocks, consumer behaviour undergoes rapid and often unpredictable change. Heightened uncertainty, perceived scarcity and an acute threat to personal well-being drive shifts from routine to defensive purchasing patterns. Consumers may engage in panic buying of essentials, stockpiling to regain a sense of control, or restrict discretionary spending to safeguard financial resilience. Simultaneously, digital channels and social media exert a profound influence, amplifying fear through misinformation or, conversely, facilitating targeted communication. Effective marketing strategies during these periods blend empathetic messaging, transparent information and adaptive segmentation to address evolving needs. Brands that demonstrate social responsibility, ensure supply-chain reliability and tailor offerings—such as flexible subscriptions or value bundles—can sustain demand and foster loyalty. Moreover, real-time data analytics and behavioural modelling enable firms to anticipate surges in demand, segment consumers by risk perception and deploy promotional incentives aligned with emergent consumer mindsets. Across global contexts, an integrative approach that balances behavioural science insights with operational agility has emerged as a critical foundation for resilient marketing in times of crisis.
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Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategies during Crises publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in consumer behavior and marketing strategies during crises across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Panic buying: Sudden surge in demand for commodities driven by fear of scarcity and loss of control.
Herd mentality: Collective consumer behaviour where individuals mimic perceived majority actions, often amplifying demand spikes.
Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework: A behavioural model linking environmental stimuli (e.g. information overload) to internal states and consequent actions.
Dynamic segmentation: Time-sensitive grouping of consumers based on evolving psychological and demographic factors during a crisis.
Information overload: Cognitive burden resulting from excessive or conflicting data, which can intensify anxiety and trigger defensive purchasing behaviour.
References
- How did online misinformation impact stockouts in the e-commerce supply chain during COVID-19 – A mixed methods study. International Journal of Production Economics (2024).
- A dynamic segmentation of U.S. women during the COVID‐19 pandemic. International Journal of Consumer Studies (2023).
- Unusual purchasing behavior during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: The stimulus-organism-response approach. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services (2020).
- Psychological factors and consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLOS ONE (2021).
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