European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

During the emergence of COVID-19 an unusual consumer behavior were noticed. Individuals and groups were seen with unusual behavior. Present study conceptualized the behavior of consumers during pandemic situation of COVID-19. Further the study has suggested the framework and considered five (5) constructs with five hypotheses. Pandemic situation is considered as the antecedent, online information source exposure considered as mediator between perceived severity & Cyberchondria and pandemic situation of COVID-19. Intention to make unusual purchases suggested as consequence of the considered framework. Study is purely based on concepts and suggestions. Study further provided with extensive and holistically relevant literature.

Key purpose of this study is to study the impact of coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis on the retail business in Saudi Arabia. The conventional brick and mortar retail business has been following a downward trend over the years with e-retailing exponentially growing during the lockdown period of corona pandemic. It was also noticed that customer preferences and purchasing behaviour are also experiencing a gradual shift from the earlier patterns. In the wake of such adversity, where businesses have collapsed, the study has tried to understand the factors responsible for affecting the retail industries in the kingdom with some key learnings.