How COVID-19 is impacting culture and consumer behavior: April 6 – 10.

By C-K’s Brand Planning and PR/Social teams

This week, U.S. consumers are finding comfort where they can while waiting out the pandemic. As many enter their fourth or fifth week of quarantine, they are are settling into a new shelter-in-place lifestyle and actively working to bring some levity to their day-to-day.

Trends for April 6 – 10.

(Read the trends for March 30 – April 3.)

Finding Joy​ in the Moment

Despite an overload of negative news, people are choosing to focus on small pieces of joy in their lives to help strike a balance between panic and peace. ​

DistantSocializing

We’ve talked about the fallacy of social distancing in earlier reports, and we continue to see unique ways consumers are staying socially connected while physically distancing. ​

Reconnecting With ​the Kid in Us

Stir-crazy parents are jumping into some of their kids’ favorite time-filling activities. ​

NearNostalgia

The junk food of our childhoods, old TV shows, and classic video games are making a comeback as consumers look to soothe stress with old favorites. ​

  • Classic food brands like Kraft Mac & Cheese and Goldfish are having a moment as we trade our “adult” foods for comforting childhood favorites
  • Adults are escaping the pandemic world for the familiar videogame worlds of their youth. 
  • We’re even pining over the less-distant past, filling Instagram with “throwback” photos of pre-quarantine times and yearning for the simple pleasures we took for granted.

Bringing theBar Home

Consumers are looking for ways to slide staples of their past life into their current situation, and drinking is no exception. Bars and alcohol companies are finding creative ways to answer this need. ​

  • Online alcohol sales in the U.S. are up 243% vs. last year.  
  • Wine companies are now shipping wine collections to buyers. Once opened, people can join sommeliers via Zoom for a virtual tasting session.  
  • Brewdog has launched 102 virtual bars to encourage social distancing without sacrificing community.

Our ChangingCarts

Our physical and virtual shopping carts are looking a bit different these days as everyone settles into a new way of life. ​

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