Mr Ahmed Saoudy A.Saoudy@hull.ac.uk
Lecturer in Marketing
Conceptualising the panic buying phenomenon during COVID-19 as an affective assemblage
Zaky, Ahmed; Mohamed, Hassan; Saxena, Gunjan
Authors
Hassan Mohamed
Professor Gunjan Saxena G.Saxena@hull.ac.uk
Professor
Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to conceptualise the panic buying behaviour of consumers in the UK during the novel COVID-19 crisis, using the assemblage approach as it is non-deterministic and relational and affords new ways of understanding the phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach: The study undertakes a digital ethnography approach and content analysis of Twitter data. A total of 6,803 valid tweets were collected over the period when panic buying was at its peak at the beginning of the first lockdown in March 2020. Findings: The panic buying phase was a radical departure from the existing linguistic, discursive, symbolic and semiotic structures that define routine consumer behaviour. The authors suggest that the panic buying behaviour is best understood as a constant state of becoming, whereby stockpiling, food waste and a surge in cooking at home emerged as significant contributors to positive consumer sentiments. Research limitations/implications: The authors offer unique insights into the phenomenon of panic buying by considering DeLanda’s assemblage theory. This work will inform future research associated with new social meanings of products, particularly those that may have been (re)shaped during the COVID-19 crisis. Practical implications: The study offers insights for practitioners and retailers to lessen the intensity of consumers’ panic buying behaviour in anticipation of a crisis and for successful crisis management. Originality/value: Panic buying took on a somewhat carnivalesque hue as consumers transitioned to what we consider to be atypical modes of purchasing that remain under-theorised in marketing. Using the conceptual lenses of assemblage, the authors map bifurcations that the panic buyers’ assemblages articulated via material and immaterial bodies.
Citation
Zaky, A., Mohamed, H., & Saxena, G. (2022). Conceptualising the panic buying phenomenon during COVID-19 as an affective assemblage. European Journal of Marketing, 56(12), 3313-3346. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-11-2020-0796
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Aug 23, 2022 |
Online Publication Date | Sep 28, 2022 |
Publication Date | Nov 30, 2022 |
Deposit Date | May 19, 2023 |
Publicly Available Date | Aug 16, 2023 |
Journal | European Journal of Marketing |
Print ISSN | 0309-0566 |
Publisher | Emerald |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 56 |
Issue | 12 |
Pages | 3313-3346 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-11-2020-0796 |
Keywords | Affective assemblage; Assemblage bifurcations; COVID-19; Netnography; Panic buying; Sentiment analysis; Twitter analysis; Content analysis |
Public URL | https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4291840 |
Files
Accepted manuscript
(6.7 Mb)
PDF
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited. This AAM is provided for your own personal use only. It may not be used for resale, reprinting, systematic distribution, emailing, or for any other commercial purpose without the permission of the publisher.
You might also like
Conceptualising the panic buying phenomenon during COVID-19 as an affective assemblage
(2022)
Journal Article
Avatar Taxonomy: A New Technological Tool to Enhance the Consumer-Brand Relationships
(2023)
Journal Article
Archaeological tourism : a creative approach
(2017)
Journal Article
Downloadable Citations
About Repository@Hull
Administrator e-mail: repository@hull.ac.uk
This application uses the following open-source libraries:
SheetJS Community Edition
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
PDF.js
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
Font Awesome
SIL OFL 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL)
MIT License (http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.html)
CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Powered by Worktribe © 2024
Advanced Search