This study provides information on how the pandemic affected customers’ shopping habits in Azerbaijan. Particularly the study covers such topics as the preference for which food products were given during the quarantine period, how actively respondents used the online services of retailers. Along with this, on what needs people began to spend more money and on what less. And also, how buyers in Azerbaijan perceive online sales channels and what influences their decision to use them.
Nevertheless, there are many unanswered questions regarding purchasing habits in Azerbaijan. The research may serve as a direction to analyse consumer shopping habits in Azerbaijan in a more detailed way. In order to obtain a more precise result, it is recommended to use another sampling method which will cover an increased number of residents of Azerbaijan who fall under different categories of the population, which also includes people who have not yet mastered the Internet sufficiently to take part in online questionnaires.
In addition to that, in comparison with this thesis study, which was aimed at examining the shopping habits of consumers in Azerbaijan that were affected by the pandemic as a whole, further research could divide the population by generations to reveal how the shopping habits of consumers who belong to a particular generation have changed. The result will give a more precise answer and will help different types of retailers to adapt to the changed habits and needs according to the habits of the representatives of those generations whom particular retailer targets.
The study investigates whether consumers in Azerbaijan started to do more or less shopping via the Internet; however, another topic for the research could be how the amount of money they spend on online purchases has changed because the change in frequency of online purchases does not show changes in the amount spent.
Another sphere for research that will give an opportunity for entrepreneurs to adapt to the changing habits of consumers is the service industry. Particularly deep investigation of HoReCa businesses will bring a broader view to the changing habits and, in general, lifestyle change of customers in Azerbaijan.
Since part of the study with qualitative research method focused on companies that are considered large in scale and are among the most popular representatives in the retail sector in
Azerbaijan, in further research by focusing not only on large representatives but also on medium and small enterprises, that operate in the retail industry and which meet demand in those parts of the country that large enterprises do not target, it will be possible to analyse in deep how pandemic affected consumer shopping habits in Azerbaijan.
Conclusion
Consumer shopping habits in Azerbaijan, to some extent, have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the results of the study, consumers in Azerbaijan took stepped back to the lower level in the motivation pyramid by spending less money on social needs, which is a consequence of limited social activity. On the other hand, increased spending for safety needs is an indicator that people only need basic products that are required for a human being to feel secure and satisfied. Talking about foods, the demand for the production of different categories remains unchanged, meaning that the pandemic did not affect the food preferences of consumers in Azerbaijan.
Regarding online shopping habits, survey results in Azerbaijan demonstrate that the amount of shopping done by consumers in online stores has not been affected by the pandemic. The majority of the respondents mentioned that with the start of the pandemic, they are purchasing via online stores in about the same as it was before the pandemic. Considering what affects the intention to make an online purchase, the main aspects are access convenience, how easily consumers are able to have access to the online stores and possession convenience, to what extent the delivered product meets the buyer's expectations, which are formed on the basis of the seen picture and description of the product.
Overall, it is possible to suggest that consumer shopping habits in Azerbaijan have not undergone a large-scale transformation of the connection of the situation that has arisen due to the pandemic. The major changes were observed mainly on those habits, that are related to those activities that directly fell under quarantine measures, such as closure of public places.
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