Purdue experts on COVID-19: Krannert professor provides tips on shopping digitally

Mohammad Rahman, associate professor of management, offers advice to help consumers succeed with their digital shopping in a video on the new "Purdue experts on COVID-19" website. Download image

Mohammad Rahman, associate professor of management, offers advice in a video to help consumers have successful digital shopping.

Rahman, who studies digital transformations and consumer behavior, says that he often buys okra for his young son, but that COVID-19 has changed his shopping for items as simple as vegetables. Relying on digital channels may require a change of expectations. Tools like reviews, zooming in and alternative photos may help create more realistic expectations for products from groceries to apparel. As long as expectations are realistic, consumers are more likely to have satisfactory digital shopping. Consumers can support their favorite stores and brands right now by ordering things online, picking up orders and being patient.

Rahman’s video is part of a collection on a new website, “Purdue experts on COVID-19.” He is one of three dozen Purdue faculty members who are now sharing knowledge pertinent to the pandemic crisis in short videos on the site.

The idea behind this website is for Purdue faculty from a wide variety of disciplines to share their expertise to inform and prepare the public to respond safely and successfully to this pandemic. The videos cover a diverse assortment of subjects. That includes big-picture topics such as the economy, unemployment and the workings of supply chains and those closer to home like food shopping and produce safety, personal finance tips, and exercising at remote work stations.

Faculty members interested in developing a video to highlight their own work should contact their college communications coordinator for approval and ask the communication coordinator to reach out to Jason Fish at jfish@purdue.edu, for recording instructions.

The videos should:

• Be authentic, and not heavily produced. Visit the "Purdue experts on COVID-19" site for examples of format.
• Cover two to three major points about the faculty member’s area of expertise as it relates to the COVID-19 crisis.
• Run between two and four minutes (don't exceed four minutes).
• Be designed to reach a general audience with knowledge that can inform their understanding of the virus, the pandemic and its effects.

Once the college communicator has approved the video, the communicator should submit the video to Jason Fish at jfish@purdue.edu.

Writers: Kelsey Schnieders Lefever

Amy Patterson Neubert, apatterson@purdue.edu