BM631 Research Proposal: Impact of COVID-19 on Retail Consumer Habits

This research proposal investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer buying habits, with a specific focus on Walmart. The proposal outlines the research rationale, which emphasizes the significant disruption caused by the pandemic to businesses and consumer lifestyles. The research aims to determine the effects of COVID-19 on consumer buying habits, addressing questions related to customer buying behavior, the pandemic's impact on habits within Walmart, and mitigation strategies. The methodology section details the use of a deductive approach and a descriptive research design, employing quantitative methods for data collection through questionnaire surveys with Walmart employees. The proposal also addresses validity, reliability, and data analysis techniques, utilizing frequency distribution methods to interpret the collected data and achieve the research objectives. The research uses a sample size of 40 Walmart employees and employs random probability sampling. Finally, the proposal includes a list of references to support the research and provide context.

Research proposal
(The effect of Covid-19 on consumer
buying habits in the context of
Retailing)
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Research rationale ...........................................................................................................................4
Methodology ...................................................................................................................................4
Approach.....................................................................................................................................4
Design.........................................................................................................................................5
Methods.......................................................................................................................................5
Data collection method...............................................................................................................5
Participants..................................................................................................................................6
Validity and reliability................................................................................................................6
Data analysis...............................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7
Books and journals......................................................................................................................7
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Introduction
Pandemic of covid 19 has impacted the business and the lifestyles of the customers very
well. It has created a adversely impact of covid 19 on the global economy. As many of the
organisation gone in loss and many of the companies started doing digital business. There are
certain things which are used in the organisation to prevent from this diseases like use of masks,
social distancing and customer shifted towards healthy diet (Bryson, 2021). Due to this
pandemic, customer cannot be able to go out of their homes and this has impacted the sales of
company as well. People are buying differently and thinking differently in many ways. Also
supply chains are being tested. Retailers are closing their doors and consumers are looking for
the products and services of the new lens. This pandemic has brings new habits of customer and
they have shifted towards having healthy diet and healthy food products. Now a days,
preferences of customer is demand of hygiene, cleaning and staples. So, it is important for the
organisation also to provide healthy food items to the customers so that they get attracted
towards the brand. In addition,due to covid 19 pandemic, many of the companies have shifted
towards being digitally which provides customers more options and home delivery options. Also,
customers needs full hygiene while purchasing any items and preventing them from any type of
disease. Also, it has impacted the organisation in positive way because companies are shifted
digitally so customer finds various options while sitting at home (Pandita, Mishra, and Chib,
2021). So, they are purchasing more while sitting at home and this develops the selling of the
organisation. The organisation selected within this report is Walmart Inc. it is one of the
American multinational retailer company which operates a chain of hypermarkets, grocery stores
and discount department. It was founded in the year 1962. This report focuses on research aim
and objectives, research methodology in order to collect data and information.
Aim: “To determine the effects of covid 19 on consumer buying habits”. A study on Walmart.
Research Questions:
 What is the concept of customer buying behaviour?
 What is the effects of covid 19 pandemic on customer buying habits within Walmart?
 What is the ways of mitigations to reduce the impact of covid 19 pandemic in Walmart?
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Research objectives
 To determine the concept of customer buying behaviour.
 To identify the effects of covid 19 pandemic on customer buying habits within Walmart.
 To analyse the ways of mitigations to reduce the impact of covid 19 pandemic in
Walmart.
Research rationale
This research topic is more important because after the covid 19 pandemic, many of the
organisation gone in loss and then by this their consumer buying behaviour got affected. Covid
19 pandemic is impacting the business and their buying behaviour. Many of the customers did
not go out due to lock down and this has affected the lot business. This has impacted the loss of
organisation and decrease in their sales (Chang, 2021). In case of Walmart, they have start using
digital sales which helps in attracting more customers and this develops the company sales.
Further, this researcher is more important for the researcher to conduct in order to enhance their
communication and research skills. This will helps in collecting true and reliable information
through different methods. Also, this research is important for the students, in order to get
information about the company and the impact of global pandemic as well.
Methodology
Research methodology is the process of particular procedures and tools which is used to
identify, select, analyse the data and information about a particular topic. It allows researcher in
achieving their research aim and objectives (Pagano, Sedunov, and Velthuis, 2021). This is the
most important method in order to collect true and reliable data and information about a
particular topic.
Approach
This is the first step in research methodology in order to get true and reliable data. It
consist of two approaches. These are inductive and deductive approach which helps in achieving
research aim and objectives. In this research, researcher is using deductive approach because this
helps in analysing and evaluating data and information in most effective manner (Guo, Liu, and
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Liu, 2021). This deductive approach is used in collecting quantitative method. This will helps in
getting numerical data and information.
Design
Research design is the structure of research which finds variables and their relationships
with each other. It is regarded as the blue print and a guidelines in order to utilise the data and
information. It includes three types of designs. These are exploratory, descriptive and
experimental. Within this study, researcher is using descriptive research design method because
this will helps in doing survey through questionnaire method and used to describe the
phenomenon because it helps in gathering, presenting, summarising and interpreting the
information in order to achieve research aim and objectives. The researcher is using this strategy
because in this it creates room or a group for collecting large amount of data through the use of
populations in cost effective way (Sharma, 2021).
Methods
There are two methods in which data can be collected. These are quantitative methods
and qualitative method. These both methods helps in collecting true and reliable information
about a given topic. Quantitative method is the one which is brings valid and numerical data and
information. It includes survey, experiments which brings reliable data and information. Further,
qualitative method includes non numerical information and it builds theoretical data and
findings. This is more flexible and subjective method which includes interviews and the focus
groups. In order to conduct this research, researcher is using quantitative data is used because it
will helps in achieving of research aim and objectives. Further, this research is collected through
questionnaire survey which includes close ended questions which is filled by respondents.
Data collection method
Data is collected through primary and secondary method. Primary method is used by
questionnaire and consist of close ended questions (Herzallah, Leiva, and Liébana-Cabanillas,
2021). Researcher is collecting data through this method while using charts an graphs and on the
other hand, secondary data is collected through analysing diverse books and articles and getting
in depth knowledge about the company. This is presented in the form of literature review.
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Participants
The participants which are taken in this report are about 40 respondents who are the
employees of Walmart. These are given a questionnaire and they have to fill it accordingly.
Further, there are two types of sampling methods. These are probability and non probability
sampling. Investigator is using random probability sampling methods because this provides equal
opportunities to every respondents to be selected in the sample. This will helps in getting true
and reliable data and information about a particular data and information.
Validity and reliability
The validity of this research is determined through the amount of build in error in the
measurement. The researcher is using questionnaire survey which consist of close ended
questions and it makes use of graphs and charts (Bartók, Kozák, and Bauerová, 2021). So, this
creates validity in terms of content, contrast, creation and readability. By collecting data directly
to the respondents, researcher will be getting true and valid information. On the other hand,
reliability measurements shows stability when test are being repeated with having similar
outcomes. The reliability of this report is that there is a sue of literature review which brings in
depth knowledge about a particular topic. So, this will be helpful in achieving reliable data and
information through already published data through some other authors articles.
Data analysis
Data is analysed is a procedure of systematically applying of the statistical techniques in
order to describe and evaluate the data and information. The data is analysed through frequency
distribution method. In this data is collected through questionnaire survey by making use of
graphs and charts. Further, it will be helpful in achievement of the research aim and objectives
and also it brings valid and reliable data.
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References
Books and journals
Bartók, O., Kozák, V. and Bauerová, R., 2021. Online grocery shopping: the customers'
perspective in the Czech Republic. Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and
Economic Policy.
Bryson, J.R., 2021. COVID-19 and the immediate and longer-term impacts on the retail and
hospitality industries: dark stores and turnover-based rental models. In Living with
Pandemics. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Chang, T.S., 2021. Social distancing in retail: Influence of perceived retail crowding and self-
efficacy on employees’ perceived risks. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,
62, p.102613.
Guo, X., Liu, Y. and Liu, Z., 2021, September. Study on Value Portfolio from the Perspective of
COVID-19: A Case Study of Aviation, E-commerce and Retail Industry. In 2021
International Conference on Financial Management and Economic Transition (FMET
2021) (pp. 255-259). Atlantis Press.
Herzallah, D., Leiva, F.M. and Liébana-Cabanillas, F., 2021. To buy or not to buy, that is the
question: understanding the determinants of the urge to buy impulsively on Instagram
Commerce. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing.
Pagano, M.S., Sedunov, J. and Velthuis, R., 2021. How did retail investors respond to the
COVID-19 pandemic? The effect of Robinhood brokerage customers on market quality.
Finance Research Letters, p.101946.
Pandita, S., Mishra, H.G. and Chib, S., 2021. Psychological impact of covid-19 crises on
students through the lens of Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model. Children and
Youth Services Review, 120, p.105783.
Sharma, M., 2021. A Study on Customer Perception & Behaviour of Online Buying during
Pandemic COVID-19. CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN FINANCE, p.204.
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