Title: What people are buying during the coronavirus outbreak and why
Headings: Board games, yoga mats and yeast: What people are buying as they heed coronavirus stay-at-home orders
Board games, yoga mats and yeast: What people are buying as they heed coronavirus stay-at-home orders
Key Points
It’s time to entertain and connect

Content: Young Man shopping in a supermarket, breathing through a medical mask. RealPeopleGroup
In the weeks since the U.S. confirmed its first case of COVID-19, consumer habits have been shifting. Medical masks, hand sanitizer, gloves and toilet paper have flown off shelves in the U.S., as more people began to look to protect themselves and prepare for long stints isolated in their homes. But, those aren’t the only items that consumers are spending money on in stores and online. In addition to medical supplies, such as cold medicine, thermometers and tissues, and items for the pantry, such as canned goods and bottled water, people have begun shelling out money for entertainment. Board games, puzzles and video games have become popular items. According to Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist, people are currently purchasing items based on three needs: to protect, to entertain and to connect. “First of all there are our practical needs,” she said. “ We are home more, so we need more food and we need more provisions.”