Economics
Consumer Impact of Supply Chain Disruptions Report: September 2021
Report summary
Global supply chains have faced numerous challenges in recent months, resulting in widespread delays and shortages across a variety of consumer goods. COVID-19-related factory shutdowns, bottlenecks on product components, port congestion, labor tightness and unfavorable weather patterns have coalesced to constrict supply for a multitude of products. These supply shocks continue to ripple through housing markets, car dealerships, grocery aisles, home improvement stores and various other retailers. In response to these ongoing struggles with production and distribution of goods, Morning Consult conducted a survey to evaluate the impact of these shortages on consumers.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. consumers most frequently reported difficulty with procuring housing, grocery items and cars last month.
- Most consumers that failed to procure a particular product responded by purchasing a substitute instead, though more than half simply gave up on the purchase.
- Across all categories covered, 33-42% of online shoppers noted that delivery times were slower than usual last month.
About the author
Kayla Bruun is a senior economist at decision intelligence company Morning Consult, where she analyzes consumer spending, inflation and household finance trends, leveraging the company’s proprietary high-frequency data.
Prior to joining Morning Consult, Kayla was a key member of the corporate strategy team at telecommunications company SES, where she produced market intelligence and industry analysis of mobility markets.
Kayla also served as an economist at IHS Markit, where she covered global services industries, provided price forecasts, produced written analyses and served as a subject-matter expert on client-facing consulting projects.
Kayla earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Emory University and an MBA with a certificate in nonmarket strategy from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Follow her on Twitter @KaylaBruun. For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected]
