The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), KAKENHI [Grant Number 20K01989]: Comparative Research on Consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Grant holder: Mitsunori Hirogaki, PhD, Kyushu University, Faculty of Economics, Japan
Duration: April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2024
EIZ member: Ivan-Damir Anić

This project investigates consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and Croatia. The project aims at examining the impact of the pandemic on consumers' purchasing behavior in grocery retailers, exploring the differences in consumers' attitudes, intentions and purchases, and explaining how cross-cultural differences might explain consumers' responses in these two countries. This research relies on data collected from consumers' questionnaires carried out in Japan and Croatia at the beginning of March 2021. A market research agency was hired to collect the data. The questionnaire included questions related to fear and perceived COVID-19 threat, information overload, perceptions of lock-down, in-store purchasing behavior and consumers' emotions, perceptions about retailers' legitimacy, safety measures taken by retailers and consumers to control the spread of the virus, customer loyalty, consumer purchases in their favorite retailers and online shopping habits, as well as the demographic variables. The project intends to contribute to international cross-cultural marketing literature and should provide valuable managerial implications for retailers in both countries on how to fight the COVID-19 pandemic more effectively. A published paper in a journal listed in the Web of Science database is expected to be the outcome of this project.
 
Website: https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/index.html