IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v85y2025ics0969698925000748.html

Effects of crisis-induced inflation on purchasing and consumer behavior in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Mennekes, Theresia
  • Schramm-Klein, Hanna

Abstract

This study examines the impact of crisis-induced inflation and product scarcity on consumer behavior in Germany. Using the React-Cope-Adapt (RCA) framework, it analyzes how financial constraints and product shortages influence stress, financial planning, and purchasing decisions. The study is based on a two-wave survey (T1: NÂ =Â 152, T2: NÂ =Â 129) conducted during periods of high inflation and pre-Christmas economic conditions. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is applied to assess the dynamic interplay between financial constraints, stress, and behavioral adaptations over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Mennekes, Theresia & Schramm-Klein, Hanna, 2025. "Effects of crisis-induced inflation on purchasing and consumer behavior in Germany," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:85:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925000748
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104295
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698925000748
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104295?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kristina M. Durante & Vladas Griskevicius & Joseph P. Redden & Andrew Edward White, 2015. "Spending on Daughters versus Sons in Economic Recessions," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 42(3), pages 435-457.
    2. Linda Glawe & Helmut Wagner, 2024. "Inflation and inequality: new evidence from a dynamic panel threshold analysis," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 297-309, May.
    3. Rebecca Hamilton & Debora Thompson & Sterling Bone & Lan Nguyen Chaplin & Vladas Griskevicius & Kelly Goldsmith & Ronald Hill & Deborah Roedder John & Chiraag Mittal & Thomas O’Guinn & Paul Piff & Car, 2019. "The effects of scarcity on consumer decision journeys," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 532-550, May.
    4. Sheth, Jagdish, 2020. "Impact of Covid-19 on consumer behavior: Will the old habits return or die?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 280-283.
    5. Orlando, Beatrice & Tortora, Debora & Pezzi, Alberto & Bitbol-Saba, Nathalie, 2022. "The disruption of the international supply chain: Firm resilience and knowledge preparedness to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(1).
    6. Omar, Nor Asiah & Nazri, Muhamad Azrin & Ali, Mohd Helmi & Alam, Syed Shah, 2021. "The panic buying behavior of consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining the influences of uncertainty, perceptions of severity, perceptions of scarcity, and anxiety," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    7. Burdekin, Richard C K & Siklos, Pierre L, 1999. "Exchange Rate Regimes and Shifts in Inflation Persistence: Does Nothing Else Matter?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 31(2), pages 235-247, May.
    8. Filis, George & Degiannakis, Stavros & Floros, Christos, 2011. "Dynamic correlation between stock market and oil prices: The case of oil-importing and oil-exporting countries," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 152-164, June.
    9. A. R. Shaheen Hosany & Rebecca W. Hamilton, 2023. "Family responses to resource scarcity," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(6), pages 1351-1381, November.
    10. Richard H. Thaler, 2008. "Mental Accounting and Consumer Choice," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(1), pages 15-25, 01-02.
    11. Hamilton, James D, 1983. "Oil and the Macroeconomy since World War II," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 91(2), pages 228-248, April.
    12. Simona Botti & Susan Broniarczyk & Gerald Häubl & Ron Hill & Yanliu Huang & Barbara Kahn & Praveen Kopalle & Donald Lehmann & Joe Urbany & Brian Wansink, 2008. "Choice under restrictions," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 183-199, December.
    13. Margaret C Campbell & J Jeffrey Inman & Amna Kirmani & Linda L Price, 2020. "In Times of Trouble: A Framework for Understanding Consumers’ Responses to Threats," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 47(3), pages 311-326.
    14. Joseph Kaswengi & Mbaye Fall Diallo, 2015. "Consumer choice of store brands across store formats: A panel data analysis under crisis periods," Post-Print hal-01743958, HAL.
    15. Pantano, Eleonora & Pizzi, Gabriele & Scarpi, Daniele & Dennis, Charles, 2020. "Competing during a pandemic? Retailers’ ups and downs during the COVID-19 outbreak," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 209-213.
    16. Eesha Sharma & Adam L. Alter, 2012. "Financial Deprivation Prompts Consumers to Seek Scarce Goods," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(3), pages 545-560.
    17. Philip M. Fernbach & Christina Kan & John G. Lynch Jr., 2015. "Squeezed: Coping with Constraint through Efficiency and Prioritization," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(5), pages 1204-1227.
    18. Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, 2013. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 6, pages 99-127, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    19. Anatolijs Prohorovs, 2022. "Russia’s War in Ukraine: Consequences for European Countries’ Businesses and Economies," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-15, July.
    20. Kaswengi, Joseph & Diallo, Mbaye Fall, 2015. "Consumer choice of store brands across store formats: A panel data analysis under crisis periods," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 70-76.
    21. Eger, Ludvík & Komárková, Lenka & Egerová, Dana & MiÄ Ã­k, Michal, 2021. "The effect of COVID-19 on consumer shopping behaviour: Generational cohort perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Schultz, Carsten D., 2025. "Reimagining retail: Technology at the frontline, across the value Chain, and toward sustainability," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gülen Sarial‑Abi & Aulona Ulqinaku & Giampaolo Viglia & Gopal Das, 2023. "The effect of financial scarcity on discretionary spending, borrowing, and investing," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(6), pages 1214-1243, November.
    2. Aulona Ulqinaku & Gülen Sarial-Abi, 2025. "When sales promotions make consumers experiencing financial restrictions purchase more or less: the role of decisional conflict," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2025(2), pages 155-179, June.
    3. Grimmer, Louise, 2022. "Lessons from the COVID19 pandemic: The case of retail and consumer service firms," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Daniel, Christopher & Hernandez, Tony, 2024. "What retail apocalypse? A Delphi forecast of commercial space demand in the Toronto region," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    5. Fu, Tianhui & Wang, Yan & Jiang, Jing & Meng, Lu (Lucia), 2025. "wallet sore, gifts galore: The impact of financial constraints on quantity–quality tradeoffs in gift-giving," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    6. Ashutosh Sarkar & Debadyuti Das & Arindam Debroy, 2024. "Panic Buying, Product Substitution and Channel-Shifting Behaviour During Pandemic," IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, , vol. 13(1), pages 25-43, January.
    7. Jamal, Shaila & Li, Chunjiang & Tiznado-Aitken, Ignacio & Farber, Steven, 2025. "Exploring equity implications of online grocery, online restaurant delivery and e-shopping service usage in a suburban context," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    8. Morimura, Fumikazu & Sakagawa, Yuji, 2023. "The intermediating role of big data analytics capability between responsive and proactive market orientations and firm performance in the retail industry," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    9. Liu, Wenling & Ma, Ziqing & Xiao, Shuwen & Xiao, Yuedong, 2025. "Habit formation under stress: How COVID-19 reshaped Chinese consumer behavior — short-term disruptions and long-term behavioral entrenchment," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 926-936.
    10. Eleonora Annunziata & Tommaso Pucci & Jacopo Cammeo & Lorenzo Zanni & Marco Frey, 2023. "The mediating role of exogenous shocks in green purchase intention: evidence from italian fashion industry in the Covid-19 era," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2023(1), pages 59-79, March.
    11. Rebecca Hamilton & Debora Thompson & Sterling Bone & Lan Nguyen Chaplin & Vladas Griskevicius & Kelly Goldsmith & Ronald Hill & Deborah Roedder John & Chiraag Mittal & Thomas O’Guinn & Paul Piff & Car, 2019. "The effects of scarcity on consumer decision journeys," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 532-550, May.
    12. Zielke, Stephan & Komor, Marcin & Schlößer, Andrea, 2023. "Coping strategies and intended change of shopping habits after the Corona pandemic – Insights from two countries in Western and Eastern Europe," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    13. Szwajca Danuta, 2022. "The Use of Digital Communication Channels by Polish Consumers – Changes Caused by the Pandemic," Foundations of Management, Sciendo, vol. 14(1), pages 37-50, January.
    14. Rodríguez-Priego, Nuria & Porcu, Lucia & Prados Peña, María Belén & Crespo Almendros, Esmeralda, 2023. "Perceived customer care and privacy protection behavior: The mediating role of trust in self-disclosure," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    15. Gigliotti, Marina & Rizzi, Francesco, 2023. "Resilient shopping behaviours by change, not by chance: are disruptive events’ effects permanent?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    16. Jui-Lung Chen & Siriwat Prommetta, 2022. "A Discussion on University Students’ Online Shopping Behaviors Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic," Advances in Management and Applied Economics, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 12(3), pages 1-1.
    17. Sarin Raju & T. M. Rofin & S. Pavan Kumar, 2025. "Pricing strategies for dual-channel supply chain members under pandemic demand disruptions," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 1-39, June.
    18. Julia Koch & Britta Frommeyer & Gerhard Schewe, 2020. "Online Shopping Motives during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Lessons from the Crisis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-20, December.
    19. Sarmento, Maria & Marques, Susana & Galan - Ladero, Mercedes, 2019. "Consumption dynamics during recession and recovery: A learning journey," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 226-234.
    20. A. R. Shaheen Hosany & Rebecca W. Hamilton, 2023. "Family responses to resource scarcity," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(6), pages 1351-1381, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:85:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925000748. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.