College students, the pandemic, #BLM, and shopping habits

That’s a lot for a single post, but a new report from the research firm Student Beans shares some interesting information.

The pandemic has caused many students to shop online more often than before. As a result, some students are doing less impulse buying, and are many college students spend time searching for more ethical companies to purchase from. They look to family and friends, social media, and TV for what to purchase (so for responsible brands, social and TV are important media). The top two platforms for searching for products and services are YouTube and Instagram–meaning multimedia and visuals continue to be important motivators for today’s college students.

The #Black Lives Matter movement has impacted student shopping. According to the report:

The Black Lives
Matter movement has also shaped this year for many young
people, and our survey shows it has had a significant impact
on their purchasing decisions, just like the pandemic. In total,
71% of students have changed their shopping habits due to
Black Lives Matter. 44% want to support more Black-owned
businesses, 40% want to buy from brands who support the
movement, and 40% will try not to buy from brands that have
been linked to racism in the future.

Students continue to look for products that are gentle to the planet, and look closely at labels and ingredients.

Student Beans is a company that offers coupons to students. To learn more about the report, click here.

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