The effect of personality and individual cultural orientations on consumer buying behaviour during a pandemic.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reshaped consumer behaviour worldwide, prompting an urgent need to understand the underlying factors driving these changes. While past studies examined different factors affecting consumer actions during crises, the effects of personality and culture have been largely overlooked. Meanwhile, extant research suggests that personality and culture are crucial predictors of human attitudes and behaviour, including buying patterns. In this light, this thesis investigates the influence of personality traits and cultural orientations on consumer behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. It consists of two studies. The first study examines the impact of the Big Five personality traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience) and the Dark Triad traits (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy) on six key consumer behaviours observed during the pandemic: stockpiling, reactive health-minded buying, proactive health-minded buying, minimizing interaction with salespeople, switching to value-priced products, and increased technology purchases. The second study explores the role of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Collectivism, Masculinity, and Long-Term Orientation) in shaping these six behaviours.

The sample consists of the consumers permanently residing in the Republic of Cyprus, excluding those from the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.” Data were collected using a stratified random sampling method, resulting in 426 valid questionnaires completed by the consumers in shopping malls and public places. Participants' age ranged from 18 to over 65, with the majority being in the 35-44 age group. The gender split was relatively balanced in Study 1 but skewed towards females in Study 2. Most participants had a college degree or higher, with a reasonable balance between single and married individuals, and a diverse distribution of income levels.

Consumer behaviours in this study were classified as primary and secondary. Primary behaviours were mainly observed at the beginning of the pandemic and included stockpiling, reactive health-minded buying, and proactive health-minded buying. Secondary behaviours emerged at a later stage of the pandemic and included minimization of the interaction with salespeople, switching to value-priced products, and buying more technology gadgets. The key findings showed that stockpiling is predicted by Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Narcissism, as well as Power Distance,

Uncertainty Avoidance, Long-Term Orientation, and Masculinity. Reactive health-minded buying is affected by Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Psychopathy, Narcissism, and cultural dimensions such as Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance. Proactive health-minded buying is driven by the same personality traits and cultural dimensions. Further, minimization of interaction with salespeople is predicted by all the Big Five traits except Agreeableness, and is also affected by Machiavellianism and Narcissism, as well as Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance. Switching to value-priced products is associated with Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Psychopathy, and cultural dimensions such as Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance. The inclination to buy technology gadgets is influenced by all the examined traits except Agreeableness and Machiavellianism, and cultural dimensions such as Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Collectivism.

These findings highlight the critical role of personality and cultural factors in shaping consumer behaviour during health crises. There are valuable frameworks for both academics and practitioners. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of how individual psychological traits, cultural contexts, and buying behaviours interact and hence contributes significantly to the literature on consumer reactions to crisis situations. From a managerial perspective, this study offers guidelines for targeted marketing strategies and public policies to manage consumer behaviour effectively during future pandemics. It gives actionable insights for businesses and policymakers to tailor their strategies to different consumer profiles which might enhance the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and public health initiatives. This research underscores the complexity of consumer behaviour in times of crisis and provides a robust foundation for future research in this field.