Consumer Purchasing Behaviour Towards Strategic Innovation Management Practices in Morocco During COVID-19 Health Crisis

Abstract

The global economy has been affected as a result of the unusual circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and the restrictive measures taken by governments to contain the crisis. As a result, in order to survive such turmoil, sustain their economic outputs and adapt to change, companies have been invited, and even forced, to innovate. The present study aims at contributing to a better understating of the impacts of strategic innovation management (SIM) practices implemented into a company (i.e., its innovative strategy and culture, product innovation, technological capability, and customer and supplier relationships) on the consumer purchasing behaviour (CPB) in the context of COVID-19 global crisis. Data were gathered from a sample of 57 Moroccan companies operating with international management styles and working according to the standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Then, the structural equation model (SEM) method was employed to test the proposed hypothesis of the theoretical model. The conclusive results revealed that SIM practices have a significant influence on a company’s CPB, essentially via the adoption of an innovative strategy. Therefore, CPB is likely to be upgraded whenever companies seek for improving the implementation of successful SIM practices.