How COVID-19 impacts consumer purchase intention towards health and hygiene products in India?

Purpose The surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in India raises the need to study the variables that affect product and category choices, consumer buying preferences and consumrs' future spending. The purpose of the research is to analyse the purchasing behaviour of Indian consumers with regard to health and hygiene products, taking into consideration the impact of the current pandemic crisis. Design/methodology/approach Using purposive sampling criteria, a web-based questionnaire was circulated and a total of 411 responses were received. Findings The results assert that variables such as awareness of social distancing, brand-cause fit, word-of-mouth (WOM) publicity, altruist attribution, perceived usefulness and social norms have significant impact on trust and perceived values, which ultimately leads to consumer's purchase intention towards health and hygiene products. In addition, the model detects the moderating role of health consciousness. Practical implications The empirical findings will help marketers in designing their strategies to enhance consumer purchase intention with regard to health and hygiene products in the current pandemic situation. Originality/value The study enriches the emerging literature with regard to the impact of COVID-19 on health and hygiene products retailing.