Many commodities are out of stock, and American consumers' shopping preferences are changing

The supply chain congestion caused by the epidemic has caused unprecedented inventory shortages for almost all types of products , from chips in game consoles to ordinary products such as ties and pajamas . For Amazon merchants , there are also a few cases where "the holiday has passed, but the products have not yet arrived in the warehouse." Faced with "empty" shelves and "zero inventory" products, what changes have occurred in the shopping preferences of American consumers?

1. Choose an alternative

An American mother, Katherine Weber, reportedly promised to buy her 23-year-old son a Sony PlayStation 5, but due to out-of-stock conditions she had to choose a replacement for her son - a second-hand smartphone.

2. Inventory first, satisfaction second

When Groner realized he needed a new tie for his early December wedding, he found the perfect item on Amazon : a skinny black-and-white tie for $7.99 that he was told would be delivered in time.

But four days later, he received an email informing him that the tie was out of stock and would not arrive until January, which plunged him into despair and forced him to search the site again for any tie that could quickly meet his needs .

"For me, it doesn't matter if it's ugly — what matters is that it arrives on time, " said Groner, who ultimately chose a yellow and blue plaid tie.

3. Select Gift Card

On Cyber ​​Monday , the biggest online shopping day of the year , the prevalence of out-of-stock messages increased 8% from a week earlier, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index.

Based on consumers’ previous shopping preferences, some retailers have begun to select alternatives for consumers in advance. However, many consumers are not satisfied with the alternatives . Statistics show that if consumers don’t like the alternatives they see , they will choose gift cards more often.

4. Choose a new brand

Data shows that the epidemic has greatly changed consumers' shopping habits, and many consumers have begun to try new brands and products when they can't find their first choice . Especially for fast - moving consumer goods, take Americans' panic buying of toilet paper as an example. The shortage of this product has forced consumers to abandon the brands they have been loyal to and look for alternatives.

As Americans enthusiastically emerged from months of pandemic lockdowns, eager to shop again, retailers and manufacturers of all types were caught off guard as they grappled with a shortage of containers to move goods, bottlenecks at ports and a shortage of workers needed to unload them. Many industry analysts don’t expect supply chain issues to be resolved until next year.

Supply chain congestion

US Consumer Behavior

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