Natural disasters arouse threats of health and economic damage, altering consumer behavior in both the short term and the long term. By adapting coping theory to health and economic threats, this study examines the heterogeneous impacts of epidemic disasters, in the COVID-19 pandemic context, on online consumer demand by product type and their dynamics after stabilization. Our results show that the local epidemic outbreak initially increased (decreased) the online demand for essential (discretionary) goods, but the increased purchasing of essential goods diminished as the associated risks were alleviated, whereas the decreased demand for discretionary goods persisted. Additional analyses reveal that engaging more with online consumers during disastrous periods helps retain a specific type of consumer even after stabilization. Our findings highlight the role of threats as psychological drivers in changing online demand, providing managerial implications for online retailers on how to convert threat-driven consumers into regular customers afterward.

中文翻译：

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自然灾害期间和之后的在线消费者需求：来自 COVID-19 大流行的证据


自然灾害会引起健康威胁和经济损失，从而改变短期和长期的消费者行为。通过将应对理论应用于健康和经济威胁，本研究考察了在 COVID-19 大流行背景下流行病灾难对按产品类型划分的在线消费者需求及其稳定后的动态的异质影响。我们的研究结果显示，当地疫情爆发最初增加（减少）了必需品（非必需品）的在线需求，但随着相关风险的缓解，必需品购买量的增加有所减少，而非必需品需求的下降持续存在。其他分析表明，在灾难性时期与在线消费者进行更多接触有助于保留特定类型的消费者，即使在稳定之后也是如此。我们的研究结果强调了威胁在改变在线需求中作为心理驱动因素的作用，为在线零售商如何将威胁驱动的消费者转变为常规客户提供了管理启示。