As more U.S. consumers return to normal pre-pandemic behaviors, they support using “vaccine passports” that would help businesses and venues restrict access to people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to ICSC’s latest Coronavirus Consumer Survey of 1,004 U.S. respondents conducted May 14 to 16.

Fifty-nine percent of consumers are in favor of requiring a vaccine passport to fly within the U.S., and 58 percent support the requirement to fly internationally. Fifty-one percent support the requirement to work inside an office, and the same share favors them to go to a sporting event. Fifty percent approve of it for visiting a personal service establishment like a spa; hair, nail or tanning salon; or massage parlor, and half support them for working out at a gym or fitness center.

Meanwhile, 47 percent support requiring a vaccine passport to visit a physical store, to dine or drink at a restaurant or bar and to shop in a mall. Forty-six percent are in favor of it for visiting a casino, a movie theater or leisure/entertainment complex like an arcade or bowling alley and a recreational sports facility like a golf course or tennis court.

A return to normalcy

U.S. consumers are returning to the activities they enjoyed before the pandemic, including shopping in physical stores and dining in restaurants. Sixty-one percent are engaging in ‘normal’ levels of out-of-home activity, based on ICSC’s survey. That’s up from the 53 percent who said so in ICSC’s previous Coronavirus Consumer Survey, conducted roughly a month ago.

Sixty percent of consumers already feel comfortable and are shopping or browsing inside physical stores for nonessential goods like clothes, electronics and home decor. Forty-eight percent are dining indoors at restaurants or bars, up from 43 percent a month ago. Fifty-two percent are dining outdoors at bars and restaurants, up from 46 percent. And 37 percent are visiting personal service establishments like spas; hair, nail or tanning salons; or massage parlors, up from 32 percent a month ago.

Consumers also are getting more comfortable with malls. Forty-three percent are shopping inside enclosed malls, up from 38 percent a month ago. Meanwhile, 25 percent already are visiting leisure and entertainment complexes like arcades and bowling alleys, recreational sports facilities like golf courses and tennis courts, and casinos, up from 23 percent a month ago. And 21 percent are working out at gyms or fitness centers, up slightly from 20 percent a month ago. Only 19 percent are visiting movie theaters, up from 16 percent a month ago.

According to ICSC’s survey, 27 percent of consumers are going on vacations within the U.S., up from 21 percent a month ago. Eight percent are vacationing internationally, down from 9 percent a month ago. And 22 percent are using shared transportation, including planes and ridesharing, up from 20 percent a month ago.

Consumer preferences are evolving post-pandemic

Consumers have changed how they dine during the pandemic and plan to maintain some of their new habits as normalcy returns. Fifty-nine percent are much more likely to get food from restaurants that have drive-thru ordering/pickup options. And half say they’re interested in restaurants opening smaller, pickup-/takeout-only locations. Meanwhile, 49 percent are using restaurant apps or websites and/or third-party platforms to order takeout, pickup or delivery more than they had pre-pandemic.

There’s some good news for apparel and accessories merchants in ICSC’s survey. Forty-nine percent of consumers said that due to the positive progress being made in the pandemic, they plan to purchase new clothes over the next few weeks and months to wear to the office and to go to restaurants and other social events.

Retailers would be well advised not to neglect their physical stores in the rush to accommodate digital shoppers. Fifty-two percent of consumers feel some retailers are focusing too much on digital initiatives and fulfilling online orders in their stores, taking away from the look and feel of the physical store and the in-store shopping experience.