CONSUMER BEHAVIOR OF THE SELECTED RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

By

Alisa P. Relatorres
Arsenio N. Rojo
Jhona Mae G. Sacamay
Nancy Carmela P. Santos
Erica A. Sario

2021
 Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Background of the Study

In our everyday life, we unconsciously make decisions in buying necessities.

Before we go out of our house, we set our minds to the items we will buy outside. This

connects us with the subconscious mind of a consumer. Consumer behavior

encompasses mental and physical activities that consumers engage in when searching

for, evaluating, purchasing, and using products and services. Consumers exchange

their scarce resources, such as money, time, and effort, for items of value in the

marketplace. Consumer buying behavior studies various situations, such as what

consumers buy, why they buy, when they buy, how often they buy, why they buy, and

much more.

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an

ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) caused by severe

acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2). It originated in Wuhan, China,

in early December 2019, has spread rapidly in almost every country in the world, with

confirmed cases, and has become a new global public health crisis (Mohan and

Nambiar, 2020). It affects day to day life and is slowing down the global economy. This

pandemic can be defined as far more than just a health crisis since it has heavily

affected societies and economies. The outbreak has unpredictably changed how we

work, communicate, and shop, more than any other disruption in this decade.

Specifically, a growing tendency in the sales of necessities has been observed:

consumer priorities have become centered on the most basic needs, including food,

hygiene, and cleaning products. Most of the world's governments have been shown to

underestimate the risks of the rapid spread of COVID19 and have mostly been reactive

in their response to the crisis. Since disease outbreaks are unlikely to disappear shortly,

proactive international action is needed to save lives and guard economic prosperity.

Overall, it can be seen that consumer purchasing preferences have changed during the

pandemic.

As stated by Meetah et al. (2020), in every market, consumers are the engines of

market competitiveness, growth, and economic integration. Consumers are also

experiencing behavioral changes in the face of economic instability, although the scale

of transformation experienced during the crisis continues. Moreover, according to

Puttaiah (2020), every consumer behavior strongly depends on location and time.

Behavior can vary significantly from place to place depending on culture, region, etc.

The pandemic makes this dimension of consumer behavior more complex. For

example, because physical activity is restricted, consumers migrate to virtual worlds at

an unprecedented rate and are exposed to new influences. This may require us to go

beyond traditional methods of modeling their behavior.

The researchers aim to identify changes in consumer behavior of the selected

Rizal Technological University when purchasing essential products: groceries,

pharmacy items, clothing and footwear, and electronics during the COVID19 pandemic.
Statement of the Problem

To be able to assess the consumer behavior of students in Rizal Technological

University.

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents?

1.1. Gender

1.2. Age

1.3. Employment Status

1.4. Economic Class

1.5. College Level

2. The psychology of the students and how they make decisions depending on the

needs in the pandemic situation.

3. The various stages a student gives through before purchasing a product or

service amid a pandemic.

Significance of the Study

This study shows how the Covid-19 Pandemic affects the consumer behavior of

students, particularly from Rizal Technological University in Pasig, City. The researchers

devised this study for the following beneficiaries:

● Students. This study benefits students the most since it mainly studies students

and their consumer behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic.

● Businesses. This study helps businesses to analyze how the pandemic is

affecting the student when it comes to consuming. It may assist them in making

and deciding marketing plans.

● Parents. This study can provide adequate information to parents on how

students behave when consuming in the time of the pandemic. They can help

their children and guide them so they can make better and wise decisions.

● Future researchers. This study could be helpful for people who want to conduct

additional research on student consumer behavior, particularly during a

pandemic.
Scope and Limitations

This study deals mainly with examining and analyzing the Consumer Behavior of

the selected students of Rizal Technological University amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the study was conducted during a pandemic, the researcher ensures following

safety health precautions; thus, the researcher uses an online survey through a

questionnaire to provide data and information needs throughout the study. The

researcher target respondents are randomly selected and only within Rizal

Technological University of Pasig City for the several months of 2021.

Although the research reached its aim, there are still unavoidable limitations. One

is the time limit. In order to gather more information, the researcher should research an

enormous population. Therefore, the data would be more reliable and accessible to

more places and make the result more generalized. In addition, the researcher follows

deadlines and safety health protocols to accomplish the said study. This study is mainly

dependent on the honesty, sincerity, and integrity of the respondents.

REFERENCE:

Meehta S. er. al. (2020). The New Consumer Behaviour Paradigm amid COVID-19:
Permanent or Transient? Retrieved from
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0972063420940834

Mohan BS, Nambiar V. (2020). COVID-19: An Insight into SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Originated at Wuhan City in Hubei Province of China. Retrieved from
https://clinmedjournals.org/articles/jide/journal-of-infectious-diseases-and-epidem
iology-jide-6-146.php?jid=jide

Puttaiah, Mahesh (2020). All change: how COVID-19 is transforming consumer

behaviour. Retrieved from
https://www.swissre.com/institute/research/topics-and-risk-dialogues/health-and-l
ongevity/covid-19-and-consumer-behaviour.html