Marketing mix strategies during and after COVID-19 pandemic and recession: a systematic review

Purpose This study aims to answer two important questions: (1) Whether companies should reduce or increase the marketing expenses to face the recession caused by COVID-19? and (2) What marketing mix strategies should companies undertake to shine in the post-pandemic world? Design/methodology/approach As recession caused by the COVID-19 crisis is one of the main drivers of business environment and customer behaviour changes, the authors systematically reviewed articles on marketing mix strategies during recessions. Out of 1,128 documents extracted from the Scopus database, 41 English-written articles were selected and analysed. Findings This study illustrates: (1) marketing budgets should not be cut during COVID-19 and (2) the marketing mix practices and strategies that firms should undertake during COVID-19 pandemic in terms of product, price, promotion, and place were explained. Originality/value The findings of this study advance the understanding of marketing strategies and practices that should be adopted and put into practice to deal with the impacts of COVID-19 on the business environment and shine in the post-COVID-19 world.