Navigating economic crises in central and Eastern Europe

Purpose – This study examines the impact of economic crises on consumer behaviour, focusing on coping strategies and consumer resilience theories. Specifically, it explores consumer responses to economic challenges stemming from the Ukraine conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, Hungary and Slovenia. Design/methodology/approach – The research utilized an online survey of 1,544 respondents representative of age, gender, education and residence. A k-means cluster analysis identified three distinct consumer segments based on adaptive behaviours, demographics and psychographics. To strengthen construct validity across cultures, the study incorporated back-translation and cross-national scale reliability testing prior to segmentation analysis. Findings – Three consumer unique segments demonstrating emerged: resilient shoppers with stable consumption habits, balanced financial approaches