Translation Source: Al Khaleej

Translated By: Benoi Nair

Holding accountability is what the consumers have been unable to achieve when it comes to rational spending, Coronavirus has successfully rearranged purchasing priorities from the most important to the least important one, as the current pandemic faces the inevitability of changing the purchasing pattern, without compromising basic products for which the demand increases, with the possible decline in demand for non-essential products.

According to a particular segment of consumers, scheduled shopping for non-essential products had a key role in re-directing shopping in the right track, without disturbing the regular purchase quantities of every family. Besides that, rationalizing the expense does not mean compromising the life essentials, but rather rearranging the family budget in a way to continue living at the same level, especially since certain requirements can be postponed until the end of the pandemic.

Sourcing Sustainability

Talking about the same subject, The Director of Happiness & Marketing Department at Union Coop, Dr. Suhail Al Bastaki said that the consumption pattern of individuals in the current situation has changed significantly as most of the basic needs have now become a luxury, highlighting the need to rearrange priorities and contribute to the sustainability and preservation of material resource of community members. Moreover, the repercussions of Coronavirus has had an impact on the mindset of society in all fields of life including their consumption behavior, as the emerging tendency to rationalize this behavior into healthy, beneficial, necessary and clean direction was at the expense of the perfectionist and the doubtful.

He added that Union Coop has a specialized team of analysts closely monitoring the market trends and also the shift in consumer behavior, which in turn prepares economic studies that help deal with any changes that may arise. Union Coop also worked to raise its operational capacity with respect to home delivery requests, which saw a surge of 640% during the pandemic, at a rate of more than 800 requests per day, at a time when Union Coop doubled its workforce to keep pace with that boom in an attempt to meet all the needs, including the challenges that it entails to meet the huge demand for home delivery service.

He further pointed out that Union Coop performs the role assigned to it efficiently and competently towards the consumer, as it provides quality services, products and goods conforming to international standards and specifications of public health and safety in its branches. Union Coop is keen to maintain a large commodity stock throughout the year to meet all the requirements and preferences/tastes of the consumers and that too at competitive prices.