The Role of Health Protocol on The Hypermart Consumers THE ROLE OF HEALTH PROTOCOL ON THE HYPERMART CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE DECISIONS IN PEKANBARU: A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

One of the Covid-19 pandemic impacts in Indonesia is changing consumer behavior in making purchasing decisions. In this study, to see involves that occur according to gender in making purchasing decisions after implementing health protocols. The company's implementation of health protocols is a consideration for customers in choosing where they shop. Therefore, this study aimed to see the effect of health protocols on customer purchasing decisions from a gender perspective and conducted this research at Hypermart Pekanbaru. This study took a sample of 400 active customers. This research uses the purposive sampling method, and SEM (Structural Equation Modelling) analysis was used in this study. The results showed that female consumers agreed more with the implementation of the health protocol and had a higher average score than male consumers. Furthermore, this finding revealed a significant effect on implementing suitable health protocols on consumer purchasing decisions. The implementation of health protocols carried out by Hypermart can consistently improve consumer purchasing decisions. Thus, companies must view this health protocol as necessary for consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though the costs incurred tend to be expensive.


INTRODUCTION
In the past few years, the retail business in Indonesia has grown slowly. Many consumers avoid making direct or indirect transactions to retailers due to the COVID-19 pandemic that hit Indonesia. According to Bank Indonesia (BI) survey, retail sales projections in the third quarter of 2020 will grow slower than the previous quarter. Retail sales in the third quarter of 2020 grew 1.8% on an annual basis, lower than 4.2% in the second quarter of 2020. (Bank Indonesia, 2021) The Covid-19 pandemic has caused panic and anxiety for all levels of society worldwide, including Indonesia. Covid-19 in Indonesia was announced by the government for the first time in early March 2020 regarding Indonesian citizens who were positive for this virus. The existence of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in all activities having to be carried out by implementing physical distancing or social distancing by health protocols for mutual safety. Physical distancing or social distancing is an effort to maintain social distance so that we are encouraged to worship, work, and study from home with the condition of maintaining a distance. (Nurhalimah, 2020).
The application of health protocols is carried out in almost all community activities. One of the activities that require the implementation of health protocols is economic activity. In the distribution channel, the retailer is the final level of the distribution channel before a product reaches the end-user (end consumer). The role of retailers is crucial because they are the ones who will deal directly with the final consumer. The end consumer can buy a product in bulk and sustainably directly to the retailer. In carrying out the Covid-19 health protocol, many retail businesses have to try to operate again but have to change some of the arrangements in their stores. To create a good store atmosphere, you must pay attention to aspects of a good store atmosphere. Store atmosphere can provide a pleasant environment for a buyer and provide a sense of security in terms of health.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many retail businesses closed their outlets but then resumed operations. One retail business that has resumed operations to open its outlets during the pandemic is retail with the Hypermart concept. The Hypermart concept is a retail business that is spread throughout Indonesia. In opening its retail outlets, the Hypermart concept is back with several changes in each outlet to create a shopping atmosphere different from the usual situation and complete equipment to maintain customers and their staff's health, security, and safety. Accordingly, customers can still visit retail outlets with the Hypermart concept to shop safely in the ongoing pandemic by paying attention to existing regulations. The community's preventive efforts to break the chain of transmission of Covid-19 during the new normal period include becoming accustomed to wearing masks, washing hands with soap (hand sanitizer), maintaining distance (social distancing), avoiding crowds, and avoiding travel outside the area, particularly to areas designated as red zones (Afrianti & Rahmiati, 2021).
According to (Kotler & Keller, 2012), stated "purchase decision making is the process through which individuals, groups, and organizations choose, acquire, utilize, and manage things, services, ideas, and experiences in order to fulfill their needs and desires. Individual decision-making is closely related to getting and consuming the commodities given. According to this definition, the purchase decision is the last decision step that occurs after choosing between two or more options. While decisionmaking is an activity that customers engage in before to making a final choice. Consumers will pass through five stages in the decision-making process is the introduction of the problem, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior (Kotler & Keller, 2012) The five stages in the process of making purchasing decisions according to (Kotler & Keller, 2012) (1) Introduction to problem / necessity, introduction to the needs of the first phase of the decision process buying, is when consumers recognize a problem or need for a product (goods, services, and ideas). (2) Information search, information search at the stage of the buying decision process, which stimulates consumers to seek more information, or consumers may only increase attention or perhaps actively seek information.
(3) Evaluation of alternatives, evaluation of alternatives at the stage of the buying decision process, is when consumers use the information to evaluate alternatives in the choice set. (4) Purchase decision or buying decision at the stage of the buying decision process is when consumers buy the product. (5) Post-purchase conduct, or post-purchase behavior during the purchasing decision process, refers to when customers take further action after a purchase depending on their level of pleasure or discontent.

METHODOLOGY
The research was conducted at retail with Hypermart concept in Pekanbaru. The scope of this research was retail consumers with Hypermart Pekanbaru. This research was conducted from November to December 2020. This study used a quantitative strategy in which causal links were elicited (cause and effect). This study used a quantitative strategy, in which the researcher collected data using questionnaires, observations, and interviews. Samples were taken using the Slovin formula. Thus, this research used a sample size of 400 respondents. Sampling utilizing a method known as purposive sampling. Inferential statistical data analysis was performed in this work utilizing SEM-PLS and the Smart PLS (Smart Partial Least Squares) tool, beginning with the measurement model (outer model), model structure (inner model), and hypothesis testing.

Respondents by Age
The proportion of respondents' identities based on age describes the respondent's level of experience and maturity in making repurchase decisions. To see respondents by age can be seen in the following From table 1 can be seen that in general, consumers who shop at Hypermarts were aged < 30 years with a percentage of 40.5%. It was the age where a person was in the early days of being married and likes to fulfill household supplies, whether related to basic needs at retail with a Hypermart concept.

Respondents by Gender
Gender, in general can make a difference to a person's behavior. In a buying process, gender can often be a differentiator for activities and purchasing decisions made by individuals. To see respondents by gender, it can be seen in the following Based on table 2, general consumers who make purchases at Hypermart were women with a percentage of 56.5%. There was a kind of paradigm where women are more detailed in making purchases than men. Women were more selective, objective, and critical in managing and spending finances. Then, women were more amenable to making purchases from retailers that implement health protocols, with an average value of 4.14%.

Respondents by Purchases
Purchase is an activity performed by consumers at Hypermart Pekanbaru. To see respondents by purchases during the last month, it can be seen in the following table: According to table 3 can be seen that generally, consumers who make purchases at Hypermart make purchases during the last month as much as 2 times with a percentage of 45.5%. Basic needs tend to be met by consumers in large numbers or knew that consumers would stock up on basic goods, which causes no need to make purchases at retail too often.  Table 4 can be seen the value of the construct loading factor of each variable. It was known that all indicators have a loading factor value above 0.7. Then also obtained the average variance extracted (AVE) value above 0.50 which means that all of the reflective indicators above correlate with the constructed variable. This explains that all indicators in the variable construct meet the convergent validity requirements. Source: data processed results, 2020 The path coefficient value was 0.264 with t value 2.820 with P value 0.005. These results indicate that t value (2.820) > t table (1.96) or P value (0.005) <0.05. Then the path coefficient value was positive (0.264). Thus, it can be interpreted that there was an effect of health protocols on purchasing decisions at Hypermart Pekanbaru. The better the implementation of health protocols, the more purchasing decisions will increase and vice versa, the less good the process, the purchasing decisions will decrease. Consumers were an important component in a marketing activity. Consumers' purchase selections at stores with a Hypermart concept were impacted by merchants' implementation of health measures.

CONCLUSION
There was a significant between health protocols and consumer decisions in Hypermart Pekanbaru concept retail. The better the implementation of health protocols carried out by retailers, the consumer's decisions on retail with the Hypermart Pekanbaru concept will increase. This study implied that the application of suitable health protocols must create the impression of being safe and comfortable enjoying the atmosphere of shopping at retail during the current pandemic. This makes an input to the retail industry to improve the atmosphere according to the circumstances to feel willing to make purchasing decisions.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The limitation of this study was not to mention brands in retail. It can be a note for further research in choosing retail brands for the subsequent study.