With a possible call for a lockdown looming in South Africa, people are stockpiling for the worst case scenario. Although some may think it’s too early to be taking such panic-driven action, it seems this behaviour is perfectly aligned with global consumer behaviour trends caused by the different stages of the Coronavirus outbreak.



A recent<a href="https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/key-consumer-behavior-thresholds-identified-as-the-coronavirus-outbreak-evolves/?utm_source=sfmc&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newswire&amp;utm_content=3-18-2020">
Nielson’s report</a> highlights that there are key consumer behavioural changes that
occur parallel to each stage of the virus’s evolution. Nielson identifies that
these consumer changes are being mirrored by every country that is currently
trying to flatten the curve. Nielson identified the following stages together
with changes in consumer behaviour at each stage:



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class=""><tbody><tr><td>
 Stage
 </td><td>
 Coronavirus Event Markers
 </td><td>
 Consumer Behaviour Change
 </td></tr><tr><td>
 Stage 1
 Health-minded Buying
 </td><td>
 Minimal localised cases of
 Covid-19 generally linked to arrival from another country.
 </td><td>
 Consumer’s interest rises in
 products that support overall maintenance of health and wellness.&nbsp;
 </td></tr><tr><td>
 Stage 2
 Reactive Health Management
 </td><td>
 First local transmission with
 no link to other location and first Covid-19 related death/s.&nbsp;
 </td><td>
 Prioritise products essential
 to virus containment, health and public safety. E.g., face masks
 </td></tr><tr><td>
 Stage 3
 Pantry Preparation
 </td><td>
 Multiple cases of local
 transmission and multiple deaths linked to Covid-19
 </td><td>
 Pantry stockpiling and
 shelf-stable foods and a broader assortment of health-safety products; spike
 in-store visits; growing basket sizes.&nbsp;
 </td></tr><tr><td>
 Stage 4&nbsp;
 Quarantined Living Preparation
 </td><td>
 Localised Covid-19 emergency
 actions, percentage of people diagnosed positive continues to increase.
 </td><td>
 Increased online shopping, a
 decline in-store visits, rising out-of-stocks, strains on the supply chain.
 </td></tr><tr><td>
 Stage 5
 Restricted Living
 </td><td>
 Mass cases of Covid-19.
 Communities ordered a lockdown.
 </td><td>
 Severely restricted shopping
 trips, online fulfilment is limited, price concerns rise as limited stock
 availability impacts pricing in some cases.&nbsp;
 </td></tr><tr><td>
 Stage 6
 Living a New Normal
 </td><td>
 Covid-19 quarantines lift
 beyond region/country’s most-affected hotspots and life starts to return to
 normal.&nbsp;
 </td><td>
 People return to daily routines
 (work, school, etc.) but operate with a renewed cautiousness about health.
 Permanent shifts in the supply chain, the use of e-commerce and hygiene
 practices.&nbsp;
 </td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



(table <a href="https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/key-consumer-behavior-thresholds-identified-as-the-coronavirus-outbreak-evolves/?utm_source=sfmc&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newswire&amp;utm_content=3-18-2020">source</a>)



Although South Africa has yet to
have any deaths, our own consumer behaviour is following this trend almost
exactly. Derek Cikes, COO of online payment solution Payflex has been following
the effects of Coronavirus on retail closely since the outbreak and says that
South Africa is somewhere between stages 4 (Quarantined Living Preparation) and
5 (Restricted Living).



“We’ve seen a significant
increase in online shopping both in our own data and at our merchants. South
Africans are looking to online stores to keep goods flowing while we all
prepare for a possible lockdown. But we’re also seeing the limitations and strain
put on online retail because of this surge in users,” says Cikes.&nbsp;



In line with Nielson’s stage 5
attributes, South Africa is clearly seeing the strain put on online grocers and
their supply chain due to the demand of social distancing and self-quarantine.
Checkers launched their app sixty60 to major SA cities promising to deliver
your groceries within 60 minutes only to have to adjust that promise due to
increased demand for the home deliveries. Pick ‘n Pay’s online store is also
showing signs of a supply chain disruption as a large percentage of goods are
unavailable or sold out.&nbsp;



In order to ease the strain on
the supply chain caused by panic buying, both Checkers and Pick ‘n Pay have
implemented rationing, meaning that consumers are only allowed a certain number
of each product per purchase. This action hopes to ensure that all South
Africans are able to get what they need for the weeks ahead. Other online
grocery apps such as OneCart are seeing an unprecedented increase in users. For
example, OneCart is usually able to deliver groceries within an hour, but
because of increased demand, now have a 2 to 3 day delivery time.



In its <a href="https://www.bain.com/insights/defending-retail-against-the-coronavirus/">Situational
Threat Report Index</a>, Bain &amp; Company states that the concept of the shopping
journey in physical stores is taking on a new meaning and importance, given the
potential for transmitting the virus at each interaction.&nbsp;



According to Bain &amp; Company’s
index, the world is currently sitting at a level 6 global threat which is
called Markets and Public in Multiple Major Nations Reacting Strongly. The
index combines official data with Bain’s own modelling. It evaluates
Coronovirus’s effect on global business, grading it from 0 (a negligible
threat) to 10 (severe global recessionary conditions).&nbsp;



South Africa is no different,
with stores and businesses scrambling to find innovative solutions to keep
customers safe and secure. For example, a Spar franchise in the north eastern
suburbs of Johannesburg recently put up perspex glass panes at each till to
create a physical divide between shopper and cashier while delivery services
such as Woolworths allow the drivers to drop the goods in a safe area outside
the house without coming into contact with customers. Uber Eats and Mr D have
implemented similar regulations.



Bain &amp; Company also note that
in most segments, the outbreak will probably reduce traffic and revenue. They
say that retailers of all types must be prepared to act quickly to mitigate the
impact of such turbulence, while also learning from the experience of their
counterparts in China and other hard-hit countries. And even as they strain
every sinew to address short-term disruption, retail executives also need to
begin medium-term planning for an eventual recovery.



Falling in line with Nielson’s
stage 6 “A New Normal”, Cikes believes that there will be a permanent change in
the way South Africans use e-commerce.&nbsp;



“If there was anyone who was reluctant to use online shopping as a viable way to get both necessities and luxury goods, Coronavirus is sure to change this. It’s forcing people to get online and this may change the way South Africans shop forever. This will also push retail to think about bringing their own stores online if they haven’t already,” says Cikes.



Content provided by Nielson

gettyimages-1208025894-594×594

Op-Ed: These Are The Six Stages Of Changes In Consumer Behaviour Led By The Coronavirus Pandemic

It is a warm winter’s day in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nkosana Mazibisa is a long way from home but he is eager to make his mark; here and abroad.
Mazibisa was born in the heart of what used to be Zimbabwe’s industrial town, Bulawayo, in 1988. They call it KoNtuthu Ziyathunqa, the place that exudes smoke, in isiNdebele, because of its industry. The harsh economic conditions in Zimbabwe took the smoke from the air.
“There is so much potential in my country. When I was young, I remember the town was full of smoke from industries making many homemade products. Many of these industries have closed down and it is up to us to revive them and create jobs,” says Mazibisa.
Mazibisa wants to be the Bulawayo reviver. The idea of fixing the city dawned on him in his high school debate team in Bulawayo.
“The country was collapsing and we had a debate at school about these issues and how to solve them.”
When it was over, everyone went home and continued with their lives, but not Mazibisa. He started thinking about the role he could play. He graduated and worked hard but that debate haunted him. The smell from Bulawayo factories he was accustomed to growing up was a distant memory.  Home-grown brands he had loved were off the shelves and replaced by international and South African brands, so he swapped his well-paid job for entrepreneurship.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5034" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_0114-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />
“My family was shocked. They didn’t understand what I was doing because there are no jobs in Zimbabwe and I here I was resigning. That didn’t scare me. I knew that I had to do my bit to make a difference. That’s why I decided to start a business to solve the unemployment problems we have and revive our industries,” says Mazibisa.
He founded a food retail brand, Swaad “The Taste of India” and Mazibisa Inc., a brand strategy consultancy firm in Bulawayo Zimbabwe.
“I could have gone to Harare but we need to resuscitate Bulawayo and I am playing my role in its revival. Most countries have a brand that represents their nationality. In Zimbabwe we used to have such brands like Willards but now there is nothing. My country at one point was the breadbasket of Africa. Seeing all the big brands we had disappear from the shelves gave me a challenge. I realized Zimbabwe is in a way an extension of South Africa. We have South African shops and brands now, but very few of our own, those brands don’t necessarily resonate with Zimbabwean consumers,” he says.
Swaad makes snacks such as biscuits, potato crisps and dried fruits in a small factory in Bulawayo.
“I want to one day see the smoke from factories cover the blue sky like I used to when I was child. It would mean the country is healing and we are making our own products again instead of importing.”
Mazibisa’s ambitions to make a difference are far and near. He chairs Mawaba School Development Committee (SDC) in Bulawayo as the youngest SDC chair in Zimbabwe’s history. He built a state-of-the-art computer science laboratory which has been adopted for all city council and government schools. He is currently working on a $2-million double-storey lecture theater block and multi-purpose swimming pool project which is due before end of 2017. He is also one of FORBES AFRICA’s 30 under 30s for 2016 and a Mandela Washington Fellow.
These accolades were born of struggle.
“When I decided to start a business, I applied for the government youth fund twice but I didn’t get it. I saw this failure as a stepping stone and not a stumbling block,” he says.
With Zimbabwe’s harsh economic turmoil, dreams are often bleak. He used the little savings from his job to start a brand strategy consulting firm to raise funds for Swaad.
“Lines of credit are slim but the fact that we have a crisis means we have an opportunity to create a new order. Crisis means opportunities for entrepreneurs to rise and create opportunities. Sometimes it feels like I am fighting a losing battle but I always remind myself of the bigger picture. This is my purpose and I am ready to see it through. And this is more than about making money but also creating national pride and valuing local brands, ” says Mazibisa.
He says each of their products have a message from the CEO to ensure the clients feel valued.
“People also fill in their names and birthday details at the till when they buy our products. On their birthday, I send them birthday wishes. Buying local is more than just the brand but a story of national pride and I am hopeful that Zimbabwe will rise again.”
In Mazibisa’s eyes, where there is smoke there is pride.

The Bulawayo Reviver

The South African adult sex industry is big business. And while some of you may blush and titter at my choice of phrase, it is impossible to ignore the fact that many players in the sector are coining it.
Although no official statistics are available, insiders say it is a multibillion-dollar industry. And if attendance figures at Africa’s largest sex expo are anything to go by, the sector is booming, as more and more women rid themselves of the shackles of conservatism.
Arthur Calamaras, who jokingly dubs himself the ‘king of porn’, is the franchise owner of Sexpo in South Africa. This year he had hoped 50,000 people would attend the four-day exhibition in September. In the end, 45,000 visited the health, sexuality and lifestyle expo, which is still considered a respectable number.
The face of consumers of adult sex products is changing dramatically. The stereotype of pimply teenagers or lecherous old men no longer applies. Women are getting into the game in their droves, with more women than men attending Sexpo.
Calamaras says one reason for women’s increased interest in Sexpo and porn shops in general is that women are now designing sex toys. So not only are they prettier, but they come in ergonomic shapes and have innovative features.
In addition, market players wanting to attract women, especially rich women, have opened upmarket, lux-urious adult shops.
One example is sensuality boutique Lola Montez. Owner Sharon Gordon, a qualified human rights lawyer, opened Lola Montez as she believed it was time to be an activist for what is regarded as one of the most important aspects in a relationship – sex. Gordon was newly divorced at the time.
“At the same stage I was going through that whole dilemma… that women over 40 go through, that no one is ever going to love me again, that I am never going to have sex again.
“I thought that rather than playing at the one-night stand thing, I needed a vibrator. So off I went to one of ‘those shops’ and had the worst experience of my life,” she recalls.
Gordon then traveled to Australia, England and the United States to establish what was going on in the adult sex market internationally. She came back to South Africa and opened Lola Montez more than a decade ago, becoming one of the first women to enter the local industry.
“I really started it from a point that nobody needs to feel dirty about their sexuality and that I could do this better than it was being done.”
Gordon believes that at the time, other than in San Francisco in the US, she had the first store where people could actually touch a vibrator before deciding whether or not to buy it.
“When you come to a Lola store it’s a holistic experience. You will get educated, you will be able to touch and feel. It’s all about feeling comfortable with your sensuality and your sexuality in a safe and educated environment.”
Calamaras has also shifted focus in his 65 Adult World shops, as women are driving the sales.
“I have started introducing more female lines. In the last three years, demographics have changed a lot. As we revamp each store, we change the look and feel to make women feel more comfortable,” he explains.
He agrees that to cater for women, products had to undergo a makeover.
“The vibrator has changed from what it was 10 years ago. It has multi-speeds. Medically, products are safer, more thought is put into design; it’s more cosmetic than looking like a genital.”
Charmaine Brewis, who owns Lady Jane, an exclusive adult toy and lingerie shop in Durban, South Africa, says most of her clientele are 35 and older, married, or have high disposable incomes. She says her customers do not bat an eyelash at paying $300 for a product.
“A lot of women who come in are going through menopause and they have taken responsibility for their sexual life because it is affecting their relationships. So then they will come in and they will buy a vibrator or something like that,” explains Brewis.
Gordon, who describes herself as a relationship engineer, believes adult toys can help improve connections. “We fix the relationship with yourself and the relationship with your partner because we can educate you. At the end of the day, they are toys. That’s what they are. They are to play,”
she says.
One of the most popular services Lola Montez offers is a ‘couple’s event’. Partners go to the store together and do several exercises to establish where they are in their relationship. They are then given communication techniques to help express to one another what it is they want. Afterwards, staff members assess what the couple would be interested in and are able to advise them on purchases.
Although there has been a surge in internet sites selling sex toys, Gordon says Lola Montez still sells more in-store. This is especially common with first-time buyers who are unsure what they are looking for.
“That first buy is always within the comfort of: are you a clit or G-spot girl? Are you allergic to latex?”
And yes, she does count well-known women among her clients. “They come into the store and it’s quite interesting because the minute that it’s a personality and you are supposed to recognize them, we just make as if we don’t know who they are. And the minute you do that, all of a sudden they are just a person, and you sell what you need to sell,” she says.
As with most businesses, the economic slowdown has had a negative impact on the industry and the middle class is making fewer purchases. Gordon believes this is a grave mistake.
“Essentially we are a luxury item. We are not bread and milk. You can still have sex without us. My big thing is that that’s thinking wrong. You actually have to have us.
“What’s the first thing that walks out the back door when financial woes walk through the front? It’s your sex life and your relationship. If you are maintaining it by buying naughtiness and sexiness and making sure that you are keeping your relationship and self-esteem in play, then you should be buying our product and therefore we should be at the top of the grocery list.”
Although there is money to be made, both Calamaras and Gordon say the sex industry is not an easy one to break into. And as a woman, the stigma attached to the sector makes it more difficult for Gordon. Some women refuse to sit next to her when she attends her son’s rugby games. Others keep their husbands far away from her in case she steals them.
This attitude and perception is changing in South Africa, but in the rest of Africa, the picture is very different. In the vast majority of African countries, sex toys are illegal. Women either have to make their purchases secretly in other countries, or find other ways to spice up their sex lives.

SA Sex Sector all grown up

It’s been some time since cars have been viewed strictly as a mode of transport; most consumers buy into a brand, rather than simply deciding which vehicle they need to shuttle them around on a daily basis.
Many prestigious manufacturers have branched out into creating clothing, luggage and other such items for brand-loyal customers, and some manufacturers have even extended their design expertise into unrelated fields. The aim here is less to do with pure profit but rather as a means to showcase their creativity and problem-solving techniques.
BMW Group is one of the few car companies in the world that has its own design studio that focuses on non-car related products. In 1995, BMW Group acquired Designworks USA and began looking at how the two facets could complement one another.
Creative solutions are also a hallmark of Porsche’s philosophy. Back in 1972, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche founded Porsche Design, with the aim of applying his company’s Bauhaus-inspired thinking to other impactful projects.
Michael Griffin, owner of the sole Porsche Design shop on the African continent, says one of his main aims is to educate the South African consumer that Porsche Design isn’t simply a case of putting logos on shirts or sunglasses. The success of the product range conceived by the luxury sports car manufacturer can be seen in the phenomenal sales achieved by the Siemens Breakfast Series. More than 1.3 million kettles were sold worldwide, which far exceeded the expected 100,000 units. Not only were the items aesthetically pleasing and exclusive, they also functioned well.
Probably the greatest, most inspirational and complex creations ever undertaken by an automotive manufacturer is Ferrari World on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, the largest of its kind, covering an unprecedented 200,000m2. It was officially opened on November 4, 2010, and can fit seven football fields head-to-toe. If placed upright, it would be the tallest man-made structure, at 300 floors. The theme park also houses the fastest rollercoaster ride, Formula Rossa and allows adrenaline junkies the chance to experience the same G-forces as they would in a Formula One car.
Not to be outdone in the architectural realm, Porsche is looking at creating its own Design Tower, a $560 million structure that will be built in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida in the States. It will be the world’s first condominium complex with elevators that’ll take residents up to their units while they sit in their cars.
Ferrari has famously commissioned several vehicle designs from the world-renowned Pininfarina. Founded in 1930 by builder Battista “Pinin” Farina, the company has branched out into producing sporting goods, furniture, equipment, machinery, consumer products and even tried their hand at packaging.
BMW has become involved in remarkable creations such as the Intermarine 55 Yacht. This luxury vessel draws on the inspiration and insight carried over from the group’s knowledge of cars; it features stainless steel air intakes and a rear wing spoiler.
Partnering up with the United States Olympic Committee, BMW North America produced a two-man bobsled that raced in the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) World Cup in Austria on January 19. The Bavarian car manufacturer paired lightweight materials with optimized aerodynamics.
Other genres that BMW Group Designworks USA has forayed into run the gamut of consumer electronics, environments and medical.
In addition to making writing instruments, luggage, smoking items, sunglasses and watches, Porsche Design has helped manufacture products such as bottle packaging, dentist chairs and fetal sonar scanners.
The company originally came up with the first black chronograph watch in 1972, which sold 50,000 times more timepieces than Rolex. Six years later, their exclusive sunglasses range went on to shift an unprecedented six million units worldwide, not to mention the range favored by Yoko Ono that was produced in 1979.
While the sale of cars is ultimately the biggest money-spinner for these companies, non-automotive revenues generate an increasingly impressive profit. In 2012 for example, Porsche’s worldwide car sales topped out at €3.02 billion ($3.9 billion). By comparison, sales stemming from Porsche Design hit the €100 million ($130 million) mark, that’s a jump from €79.8 million ($103.7 million) in 2011.

Tag: Consumers

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Op-Ed: These Are The Six Stages Of Changes In Consumer Behaviour Led By The Coronavirus Pandemic

The Bulawayo Reviver

SA Sex Sector all grown up

Brands In The Fast Lane