Mechanism and empirical study of synchronous buying behaviour under public security emergencies

ABSTRACT

In recent years, public security emergencies such as COVID-19, rainstorm and waterlogging have occurred frequently, posing a great threat to personal and property safety. At the same time, the panic buying behaviour induced by public security incidents, i.e., synchronous buying behaviour, further strengthens the harm caused by the event. For example, simultaneous panic buying of face masks amid the pandemic has sparked fears of a shortage. The food rush after the rainstorm caused food shortage in some groups and the price soared, which easily led to the extreme behaviour of the people. Based on this, this paper constructs a game model of synchronous buying under public emergencies, analyses the psychological incentive of synchronous buying behaviour and the formation mechanism of synchronous panic buying behaviour, and puts forward effective measures to alleviate synchronous buying behaviour. Finally, we verify the model and its application through an actual case. Copyright © 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.