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Cotton Incorporated Survey Reveals Concerned Consumers Seek ComfortCARY, N.C., March 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The response to COVID-19 is altering American life. Social distancing, working remotely, when possible, and the shift of education from public schools to the privacy of living rooms and kitchen tables is the strange, new normal. To better understand the effects of the pandemic on consumer habits and attitudes, Cotton Incorporated posed a series of questions to 500 U.S. consumers through an online survey on March 20, 2020. The responses are largely unsurprising: the majority of consumers are very concerned; some are spending more time shopping online; paying more attention to the news; spending more time on social media; and there is an increased interest in comfort, from food to apparel. But, as the fabric of American life changes, cotton remains The Fabric Of Our Lives. Consumers are concerned Comfort helps consumers cope Consumer spending reactions vary Most consumers shopping online the same amount Online shopping felt "safer" to 58.9% of respondents, with 48.1% citing the closing of brick-and-mortar outlets as the reason for increased online shipping. Beyond practicality, 46.2% of consumers cited more free time as a reason for increased online shopping, and more than half (56.3%) of respondents cited that online shopping was "fun" or something to do. Consumers focus on staples during crisis Consumers interested in natural & comfortable textiles From a category perspective, the browsing of activewear/athleticwear (78.7%) and sleepwear/loungewear (75%) had a high purchase ratio; with 39.6% of consumers saying they had made purchases from those categories. More than 84% of surveyed consumers claimed to look for apparel made for comfort, with nearly 46% claiming to have purchased such an item. Over 60% of consumers stated they are wearing more casual or active/athletic wear during the crisis. Consumers choose cotton for comfort and safety When asked to rate the safety of fibers from a hypoallergenic standpoint, the rankings were similar: cotton was perceived as very safe by 55.4% of respondents; spandex by 27.8%; polyester by 23.2%; wool by 20%; and rayon/viscose by 17.4%. Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. cotton producers and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, conducts worldwide research and promotion activities to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cotton-incorporated-survey-reveals-concerned-consumers-seek-comfort-301029786.html SOURCE Cotton Incorporated |