Covid-19 Daily Bulletin 21/08: Masks Hit Record Adoption

But we've pretty much abandoned gloves

Happy Friday! Today we’re checking in on how consumers have adopted protective measures and what they expect from stores.

More consumers are adopting protective measures

Protective measures are becoming more important to consumers, according to our latest Qriously survey.

The survey, conducted between August 14 and August 18, asked 3,830 people across Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the US what protective measures they took if they’d left home in the last week.

76% of respondents reported wearing a face mask. That’s an increase of 27 percentage points in comparison to the first time we asked back in May, when less than half of respondents said they had worn a mask.

Meanwhile 66% of respondents reported that they had socially distanced themselves, an increase of two percentage points compared to the first time we asked.

Just 6% of respondents reported they had not taken any of the measures we asked about – a new low in our records.

Consumers certainly appear to be taking protective measures more seriously now than they have over the last few months. And, looking at the latest data compared to the previous survey, it’s a trend that seems to be increasing in urgency.

That said, there is one contradiction. We have seen glove usage drop by half since we first asked about PPE back in May. Looking at online conversation around glove use from March 1 to August 16 using our Consumer Research platform, we found that confusion was a big driver. Mentions focused on improper usage and questioned how hygienic the measure was.

What do consumers want from stores?

Another Qriously survey, running from August 3 to August 10, asked 4,265 respondents, “Which of the following do you consider when deciding whether to visit a shop?”.

The most popular consideration is, again, masks. 56% of respondents selected this option – an increase of nine percentage points since we first asked about this in June.

Respondent demand for capacity limits hasn’t wavered since we first asked this question, while 36% and 30% of respondents respectively wanted distancing signage/enforcement and protective barriers at checkouts.

We’ve said it before, but it’s vital that businesses remain aware of consumer needs and fears when it comes to Covid-19 measures. Expectations are high and, as we’ve seen above, subject to change. To encourage consumer confidence, brands should use every available channel to reinforce how they’re keeping shoppers and staff safe.

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Stay safe,

Brandwatch Response Team