CONSUMER BEHAVIOR DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLECTIVIST ORIENTATION

Purpose - The COVID-19 pandemic changed people's patterns of work and consumption substantially. This paper examines how cultural orientations and personality traits relate to adjustments in consumer behavior during COVID-19. Specifically, it considers whether individualism/collectivism, neuroticism, and collective self- esteem can help explain local food buying and stockpiling behavior. Design/Methodology/Approach - A total of 187 consumers participated in this research, with data collection taking place during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Croatia from March to May 2020. Findings and implications - Consumers with higher horizontal collectivism engaged in local food buying more than those with lower horizontal collectivism. Horizontal collectivism and, to a lesser extent, neuroticism predicted stockpiling behavior. Collective self-esteem moderated the relationship between horizontal collectivism and stockpiling, and between neuroticism and local food buying. Fostering a sense of collective identity and emphasizing collectivist values may be a fruitful marketing strategy as a response to marketplace disruptions during a crisis. Limitations - The study draws on a convenience sample of students and their household members, thereby limiting the generalizability of the study. Originality - This paper uncovers the ways in which socio-cultural and personality-related psychological constructs relate to local food buying and stockpiling behavior while also highlighting the importance of cultural orientation for explaining consumer behavior during a major crisis.