Work

Cross-categorical study on the impact of COVID-19 on consumer responses to price promotion

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study examines changes in consumer responses to price promotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We measure the effect of two promotional tools (discounts and double reward points) on sales before and after the pandemic outbreak, while accounting for the heterogeneity in behavioral changes across five product categories. We use weekly sales data collected by a large online marketplace from January 2019 to December 2020. The results reveal that consumer responses to price promotions increased for all five product categories during the pandemic. However, the impact is more pronounced for food, hygiene, and privately consumed products than for durable and hedonic products. Finally, the timing of the structural break varies across categories, and the change in double-reward-point promotions exceeds that in discount promotions.

Source: Cogent Business & Management

DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2026.2721750

Authors: Yuki Doman, Wirawan Dony Dahana, Mirai Igarashi, Chris Baumann

Institutions: The University of Osaka, Macquarie University

Language: English

Topic: Consumer Market Behavior and Pricing

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,165

Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science