Covid influences purchasing power of city people

A Meet the Press on “Consumers’ purchasing power on food and other products: Analysis of the impact of COVID-19 in Bangladesh” was organized at the liaison office of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur on Thursday noon organized by Dr Wazed Research and Training Institute, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, and Western Sydney University, Australia.

From the study, it was found that because Covid-19 consumers’ intention and behavior to purchase any food or non-food items has changed than before, or more specifically before the pandemic hit our country and the govt. the imposed lockdown has started. We have found that people during the stated lockdown period does not have any other option than to purchase their day to day products from the corner stores. People’s intention or behavior regarding purchasing on different online platforms has increased than before as not all products were available in the local shops. As concern for safety for not becoming infected by the coronavirus people stopped visiting the big local bazaars rather they purchased the food and non-food items from the super shops though to many of them the experience was not so entertaining or effective.

People’s overall purchasing behavior via the online platform from the study can also be reflected from the real data found in different articles or news on various online shops and were also being verified by the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (E-CAB). According to E-CAB, because of the tendency to avoid contracting COVID-19, consumers now-a-days, prefer online shopping for the essential products and because of this sudden change in consumers’ behavior online trading has risen from 1.0% to 8.0%.

The chief investigator of the study was the Vice-Chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Prof Dr Major Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, BNCCO, and the Associate Investigator were Tanvir Abir, Associate Professor of International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Dr Kingsley Agho, Senior Lecturer, School of Health Science, University of Western Sydney, Australia. Associate Researchers were Dewan Muhammad Nur -A Yazdani, Assistant Professor, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Dhaka, Bangladesh, Taha Husain, (Lecturer, Department of Gender and Development Studies, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur) and Md. Habibur Rahman, M Phil Research Fellow, Dr Wazed Research and Training Institute, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, and others.