Today Delineate releases the last in our current series of white papers charting the impact of the first wave of COVID-19 on consumer behaviours. As we’re all aware, the course of this pandemic is forcing us to adapt to radical changes in the everyday aspects of our lives – how we work, socialise, and buy the things we need.

It’s been quite a journey, and we continue to track the evolution of how brands and consumers respond to the virus. We will be bringing you further insights in future blogs (after all, can we really predict what changes a second wave could bring?). But for now, let’s take a moment to recap the UK’s first six months of this pandemic.

Rise of the #StayatHomeNation

Our first white paper, released in April, revealed the immediate impact of COVID-19 on our lifestyles. It highlighted our fears for the future – about falling ill and our concerns for family members. At the time, nearly half the UK population (48%) felt the impact of the coronavirus would be serious of severe, and 15% were self-isolating.

Lockdown had a devastating impact on businesses, resulting in a slew of job losses and furloughing. 41% of people were worried about job/income loss, and other impacts on the economy such as rising food prices. We had to adapt quickly, to the removal of social contact, the effects of panic buying, and finding new ways to do our weekly shop.

But it also tempered our resilience. We embraced technology to ensure we could stay connected and entertained. The weekly clap was a resounding show of support for our emergency workers.  Trust in the NHS was high, although we had concerns about the ability of the Government to do the right thing.

That said, we understood the basic messaging of washing our hands, self-isolation and social distancing. And there was a huge appetite for information. Not just from our media sources (although 8 out of 10 people were consistently watching news coverage as the outbreak developed). People also wanted to hear from a wide range of official bodies, including brands.

Questioning the Rules

By the time we released our second white paper in June, the UK had acclimatised to life indoors. Our initial anxieties quickly relaxed, as we adjusted to new routines in lockdown. Cooking and baking became our favourite pastime, and sourdough surely had its crowning moment, if our social media feeds are to be believed.

All ages embraced online media, and subscriptions to video-on-demand services grew. Information was still of prime importance, and more people started getting news from the internet. While we still held information from healthcare providers in high regard (80%), we were far less trusting of our social media providers and in the Government’s messaging during the crisis.

When restrictions tentatively started to lift as the rate of daily infections decreased, the country began its transition from “Stay at Home” to “Stay Alert”. There was optimism for a return to the outside and our shared social spaces, although some embraced this with less caution than others.  However, many people had already lost interest in travel and holidaying abroad, or in going to events where they would be in contact with a lot of people.

This period created stark new realties for brands. Trust and authenticity were the key themes of this summer, and some brands found they had no role in lockdown while others thrived. Consumers were not spending time and money as they did before lockdown, and divisions started to appear regarding just how loosely people are prepared to play with their personal safety.

The Journey Continues

It’s clear we’re not nearly finished with this story. We’re probably going to be in a period of rapid change and response for the foreseeable future. As new lockdowns loom, what might that mean for our half-in, half-out consumers?

You can be sure we will keep on tracking opinion throughout the pandemic to bring real-time data for our clients. To learn more about the new consumer divisions our research has revealed, you can download our white paper “United Divided”.