By May 19, 2020 the COVID-19 has officially been spread over 213 countries. A clear transformation of in-store purchases to online purchases can be observed as governments force companies, retailers etc. to partly shut down their operations to slow down the spread of the virus. These measures have significant impact across a company’s organization, from supply chain to sourcing to marketing. The health crisis and its consequences accelerate the trend that many of organization and brands are already seeing with consumers switching to online purchases.

The author applied the marketing research process and focused on an exploratory, qualitative research approach, with a multiple case study design, to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on consumer behavior of B2C marketing strategies in consumer goods and changes in government policies. The three countries Switzerland, United States and United Kingdom have been chosen to serve as cases. Secondary data have been collected through text retrieved from multiple articles, reports, publications and journals. For primary data, semi-structured interviews with marketing experts have been conducted.

The study revealed that in the cases of the US and the UK consumer behavior has changed significantly due to the COVID-19 measures taken by the government, whereas the Swiss consumer seems to be less affected. Especially when it comes to switching from offline to online purchases, as well as valuing community building activities and CSR. This development might result from sense of security towards the government and the employer of the individual consumer. But this attitude might change for the Swiss consumer as the pandemic evolves and greater impacts on consumers lifestyles are expected in the long-run. Yet, the analysis shows that Swiss consumers fall back into their pre-pandemic habits. Two major conclusions have emerged from the marketing perspective and for the client. One, that constant consumer analysis is needed to stay up-to-date regarding how the market will evolve and second, that brands need to create multiple touchpoints to reach the consumer, to stay relevant in the near future and in the pandemic. This by introducing Omni channel marketing strategies and building an authentic brand community.