Changes in purchasing behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic and impacts on trip patterns

Abstract

Consumer behavior has changed over time, influenced by the emergence of e-commerce and e-delivery services. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the use of technologies influencing people's behavior for shopping activities and access to services. This study aims to understand the changes in commuting patterns for purchases, trip chaining, and the decision of internet purchases during the pandemic, by identifying groups with similar behaviors and relationships with their socioeconomic characteristics. For this purpose, data were collected in May 2020, considering the travel patterns for purchases and the use of the Internet during this period. Shopping patterns, chained travel, and the decision to purchase over the Internet are characterized by descriptive statistical analysis. Next, cluster analysis is used to identify groups of individuals with similar behavior changes and subsequent analysis of socioeconomic variables related to the groups. Preliminary results showed that travel reduction due to purchases is higher among women and users of public transport. There has been a significant reduction in travel for the consumption of durable goods and chained trips for general purchases. Consumption of convenience products and essential goods over the Internet increased among people who had never bought such products online and started doing so during the pandemic. Among the factors of choice for internet purchase, the absence of direct contact with people during the purchase gained significant relevance during the pandemic. These changes in behavior bring to light the need for a reflection on the effectiveness of urban logistics solutions and a discussion of the impacts of reducing trips to purchases.