Consumer Behaviour and Corporate Social Responsibility : A study on grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: Reserach question: To what extent has consumer behaviour been influenced by supermarkets’ CSR responses to the COVID-19 pandemic? Purpose: To what extent the perceived importance of CSR responses by supermarkets to the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced consumer behaviour and what implications this have for the business-consumer relationship. Method: Quantitative study by collecting 137 responses from Swedish consumers. A deductive approach to theory development alongside a positivist and partially interpretivist philosophical position is utilized to explain the extent of change in consumer behaviour. Conclusions: The results of the study indicate that the perceived importance of CSR responses to the COVID-19 pandemic of supermarkets has influenced consumer behaviour which has implications for the business-consumer relationship. The authors also discovered that the effect of cause-fit CSR activities is particularly strong in the Swedish empirical context.