COVID-19: CHANGES IN CONSUMER BRAND THOUGHT

The effect of corona virus starts in December 2019 and in India it starts 2^nd March 2020. And if we look into the impact, it changes the internal and external system of 204 countries. In India, I found a significant impact and from the March 2015, we get a real change in Indian market when government closes the public movement step by step i.e. lockdown. It is not a myth but reality. We find a real understanding of consumer buying behavior in situations. Large corporate are not performing well in the market due to shortage of raw martial supply and manpower and distribution system. They are not in position to fulfill the expectation of the consumers’ in a great extent. If we talk the consumer buying sense, it is obvious they prefer brand and also prefer shopping in shopping mall. But in the lockdown situation, the exposure of large brand stop and same way intervention of local brand increases. Now the local player are trying to make a sustainable proposition into the people mind and also try to prove themselves by supply the material to the door of people in this crisis situation. In real market, it is observe that due to COVID 19, governments declare lockdown and then and there huge reflection happens in the large store by the people to purchase bulk material. As a result of that the inventory level getting zero and considering the situation traders take less time to understand people mindset as a result crisis develop. This is not crisis but it reflects the lifestyle of the people to purchase from branded store and branded product.  After complete their first choice consumer shifted into the second option and now they go for the third option because of unavailability of 1^st and 2^nd option. In real life experience, it shows people go to the market to purchase the daily necessity but only ask for the availability rather than choice. Initially, consumer dissonance level increases because they are getting difficulty to accept these challenges. With passes of time it reduces and develops cognitive defense mechanism that is actually perceptual defense. Here people try to ignore their thought what was carrying towards the brand and convert to increase their satisfaction level towards local brand.  Now this is an opportunities for the local player to get in touch with the consumer and develop a long term strategy to sustain in their local market in terms of fulfilling supply and demand and get a market penetration level. In this sense COVID 19 is a curse in front of world but at the same time it opens the eyes of the consumer not to rush behind the brand but to develop trust to the domestic firm who can give support at the time of emergency. In this situation ethnocentric concept are much more important and to mobilize the market and save the economic situation of the country. I hope situation will recovery very soon and economy will also revive and in the same way new platform open for domestic marketer.