Consumer Lessons from a Pandemic

By Michael L. Smith, Nicole J. Olynk Widmar, Erin Robinson

What did we learn about consumer behavior when the world was turned upside down due to COVID-19? Consumer Lessons From a Pandemic examines how a global crisis exposed and reshaped the values, priorities, and decision-making patterns of everyday people. From disrupted routines to supply-chain shocks, this volume explores the consumer behaviors that emerged in response to extreme uncertainty and how those behaviors continue to evolve. Topics include pandemic-induced grocery spending shifts, the importance of consumer trust, lessons from the infant-formula shortage, and the rise of remote work both as a preference and a negotiation point.

By pairing real-world behavior with research and reflection, this book highlights how crisis decision-making reveals deeper truths about consumer needs--and the fragility and resilience of the systems built to meet them. For those working in agriculture, food, retail, and policy, Consumer Lessons From a Pandemic is both a postcrisis case study and a lasting reminder that understanding the consumer means meeting them where they are, even in the most uncertain times.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1626712751
• ISBN13: 9781626712751
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Purdue University Press
• Length: 80 Pages