During the pandemic, consumers had to pivot and adopt new habits. Business leaders wondered at the outset of the pandemic whether these changes, which accelerated trends already in motion, would be fleeting or permanent. Now, PwC’s June 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey reveals that the changes are sticking―signifying a historic and dramatic shift in consumer behaviour.
In just a six-month period, from the time our first Pulse survey was conducted in October 2020 to when our second Pulse survey was conducted in March 2021, consumers evolved to be even more digital and eco-friendly. They also reported being more price-conscious, healthy, data-conscious and local. We examine five most significant changes exposed by the latest survey.