IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ucp/jacres/doi10.1086-723742.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring Consumer Responses to COVID-19: Meaning Making, Cohort Effects, and Consumer Rebound

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Mende
  • Dhruv Grewal
  • Abhijit Guha
  • Kusum Ailawadi
  • Anne Roggeveen
  • Maura L. Scott
  • Aric Rindfleisch
  • Koen Pauwels
  • Barbara Kahn

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic affected a variety of consumer needs, preferences, and behaviors but with considerable heterogeneity. This article develops a conceptual framework that focuses on (1) how consumers responded to the pandemic, (2) drivers of heterogeneity, and (3) effects that may persist in a post-pandemic world. Grounded in meaning-making theory, the framework derives four categories of consumer meaning making in light of COVID-19. Then, the framework draws on life course research to theorize that the pandemic driven by the perceived severity of its impact on certain consumer segments can elicit turning point and cohort effects (e.g., decreased control and increased risk perceived by consumers). In parallel, the framework predicts that certain other consumers will rebound and return to normality relatively quickly. Our process model offers meaningful implications for future consumer and marketing research.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Mende & Dhruv Grewal & Abhijit Guha & Kusum Ailawadi & Anne Roggeveen & Maura L. Scott & Aric Rindfleisch & Koen Pauwels & Barbara Kahn, 2023. "Exploring Consumer Responses to COVID-19: Meaning Making, Cohort Effects, and Consumer Rebound," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 8(2), pages 220-234.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jacres:doi:10.1086/723742
    DOI: 10.1086/723742
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/723742
    Download Restriction: Access to the online full text or PDF requires a subscription.
    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/723742
    Download Restriction: Access to the online full text or PDF requires a subscription.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1086/723742?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Martin Mende & Tonya Williams Bradford & Anne L. Roggeveen & Maura L. Scott & Mariella Zavala, 2024. "Consumer vulnerability dynamics and marketing: Conceptual foundations and future research opportunities," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 52(5), pages 1301-1322, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ucp:jacres:doi:10.1086/723742. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Journals Division (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JACR .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.