The effects of COVID-19 pandemic towards consumer behavior: a case study in Pasir Mas, Kelantan / Nurul Amirah Saupi

The coronavirus has hit China causing many deaths. The virus is believed to have spread from bats to humans as concluded by the ‘World Health Organization (WHO)’ team after conducting an investigation in Wuhan, China in January 2021. The WHO team found that the coronavirus can also be spread through physical contact. The coronavirus began to spread in Malaysia because a tourist from Singapore was infected with the virus. The virus began to spread in the state of Johor and several other states which caused the government to take action by carrying out Movement Control Orders (PKP) throughout Malaysia. This caused all sectors of the economy to close. Therefore, this study will examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the purchase of goods in Pasir Mas, Kelantan. Therefore, purchasing methods have changed a lot to curb the transmission of this COVID-19 virus. This study will discuss among the effects that caused consumer behaviour to change during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research will study about the causes of changes in consumer behaviour when buying goods. Previous research on behavioural studies during a pandemic outbreak has found that an epidemic or pandemic outbreak might affect production, investment, and consumer spending. Understanding the indirect but significant consequences of pandemics on necessary goods purchasing behaviour is therefore critical, and would provide vital
implications and recommendations for policymakers and practitioners attempting to prevent panic buying. However, there has been little research on how a pandemic outbreak affects individual buying behaviours and consumption, particularly in Malaysia. Previous research has primarily focused on the total burden of epidemics on populations, based on aggregate statistics and a microeconomic viewpoint (Kaur, 2020).