ABSTRACT
Due to its numerous advantages, and largely also because of the COVID-19 pandemic, online shopping has become the easiest and most convenient way for consumers to shop. The main goal of the paper is to analyze the current state of online shopping behaviour of consumers in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected using a questionnaire. The questionnaire examined selected factors affecting online shopping during the pandemic. A total of 546 respondents took part in the questionnaire survey. The results showed that respondents shopped online more often during the pandemic than they did before the pandemic. The findings also pointed to significant gender differences in terms of selected factors, specifically in the aspect of health, security, speed and time. It was found that women pay more attention to the aspects of health, speed and time, while for men, the security aspect proved to be the most important. The knowledge gained hereunder may help businesses determine marketing and business management strategies that could be implemented not only during the pandemic but also after the pandemic ends. © 2022, Czestochowa University of Technology. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The paper presents a qualitative view of brand building with an emphasis on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper tackles the issues of what are the most frequently examined goals in terms of the given problem and under what conditions are these connections examined. The present study falls within the field of e-business. To achieve our goal, a meta-analytical procedure of qualitative research was applied. In doing so, 64 scientific studies from 2020 to 2021 were consulted in order to summarize the most interesting findings, draw implications for practice, and clearly point to the current direction of research in this area. The most frequently researched areas were identified, in particular the adaptation of the brand to new market conditions as well as the effect social media involvement has on brand loyalty or image. The greatest emphasis was placed on analyses carried out on Facebook and Instagram. The results indicate the onset of a change in the perception of these tools and the need to monitor the current state of knowledge. These findings can be considered significant not only in the e-business dimension. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
ABSTRACT
Online shopping has been growing in importance recently, also due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19. The paper’s main goal was to evaluate and compare the development of online shopping in the Visegrad Group countries (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary) in the years 2015 to 2020 and to point out significant differences based on the social status of consumers. The paper outlines the theoretical basis of online shopping, describes the current situation in the Visegrad Group countries and current trends in online shopping due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on data from the Eurostat database, the paper outlines the development of online shopping in monitored years and compares the results for individual countries. The results were compared on the basis of the social status of consumers (employed, unemployed, student, pensioner). In all countries in the period under review, there has been recorded an increase in online shopping, with the exception of Slovakia, which recorded a year-on-year decline in 2020. The largest increase compared to 2015 was found in the Czech Republic. A growing share of employed and unemployed online consumers, students and pensioners, was recorded with the highest share in all categories found in the Czech Republic. It could be assumed that online shopping will continue to grow in the future, not only due to the pandemic but also due to its undeniable advantages. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.