Resumen

REDDA, Ephrem Habtemichael. Initial impact assessment of Covid-19 on retailing: Changing consumer behaviour and retail trade sales. JCMAN [online]. 2021, vol.18, n.2, pp.22-41. ISSN 1815-7440.  http://dx.doi.org/10.35683/jcm21033.117.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: the purpose of this article is to provide an initial impact assessment of Covid-19 on the South African retail sectorDESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The study follows descriptive research design. It employs quantitative analysis of data obtained from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) over 16-month period (01.2020-04.2021FINDINGS: The study found that the impact was uneven across all retail categories. Of the seven categories that showed significant contraction were retailers that fall in the category of textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods, retailers in household furniture, appliances and equipment, retailers in hardware, paint and glass, and all other retailers that did not fall in the other categories. Retailers that were least affected included retail categories that fall in the category of pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries followed by general dealers, and retailers of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised storesRECOMMENDATIONS/VALUE: Retailers response should be equal to the changing consumer demand and choices. More and more consumers are changing their shopping and consumption behaviour, and are willing for home-deliveries, store pick-up, and cashless transactionsMANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: There is no doubt the Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating the adoption of online retailing, and those who will succeed will be the ones that embrace it. Pivoting on existing products and business processes should be seen as a norm in surviving and excelling going forwardJEL CLASSIFICATION: L81

Palabras clave : Consumption behaviour; Covid-19; Demand; Initial impact assessment; Retail sector.

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