ABSTRACT
The issue of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy is highly topical at a time of gradual economic recovery. The study presents the results of more than a year and a half of empirical research on changes in consumer behaviour patterns of Slovaks obtained through an analysis of their online interactions with the five main representatives of the e-commerce industry. During both pandemic waves B2C and C2B interactions of a sample of more than half a million customers in the Facebook social network environment were systematically recorded. Subsequently, the data were compared with the reference period one year after the historically first lockdown. The results suggest that during the pandemic, customers switched into completely new patterns of consumer behaviour aimed at maximizing benefits. However, as the pandemic progressed, these patterns combined with the pre-pandemic standard behaviour and created a new, relatively stable evolving trend. This economically significant trend must be considered in business practice. © 2022, Institute of Geography of the Slovak Academy of Science. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The global pandemic has changed the habits of both sides of the market. The study maps selected changes in the lifestyle of Czechs and Slovaks. Specifically, it focuses on examining changes in the eating habits of customers who have been under the pressure of social distancing and re-closure of the mortar and brick businesses forced to move their interactions dominantly into the virtual world. The concept of food delivery has taken on a new dimension in these conditions, which in combination with companies and services operating based on a shared economy has created completely unique and ideal situation for the renaissance of this sector. The theoretical overview combined with the empirical analysis of the online reputation of the main players in the food delivery industry in the monitored markets compared to the leaders of the industry from the United States created a starting point for the following comprehensive research of the reputation of companies operating in a shared and low carbon economy. © 2022 IDIMT. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The issue of corporate reputation management in the time of accelerated digitization has been a subject of research by academics and practitioners for more than a decade. The aim of this study was to provide an insight into the issue of reputation management in the Internet environment in the time of global pandemic. As for the structure of the research, the study mapped two horizons of events, the first one being the onset of the pandemic in the first half of 2020, and the second one the period of cancellation of antipandemic measures after 24 months. The research was localized in the market of Central Europe, specifically in the online market of the Slovak Republic. This market synthesized two important factors, namely the highly developmental nature and at the same time the increased degree of restraint it experienced during the two years of the pandemic. A sophisticated online reputation analysis (sentiment analysis, analysis of reputation determinants, and data synthesis through the TOR indicator) was performed on a significant sample of e-commerce representatives, the results of which provided relevant findings on reputational challenges and reputational threats. Based on the findings, it can be stated that the market has adapted relatively quickly to the changed conditions. The pandemic represented a market opportunity rather than an existential threat for the subjects examined. It also played the role of an imaginary accelerator in the evolutionary transition from offline to online.
ABSTRACT
The issue of the evolution of consumer behavior is the subject of research since the transition from production to product marketing as consumer preferences evolve over time. The chapter presents the results of the initial phase of a study of changes in consumer behavior caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study is to examine specific changes in B2C interactions of Czech and Slovak consumers during the first lockdown in 2020. The starting point for changing consumer preferences was the fact that the dominant part of consumer interactions shifted from brick-and-mortar to virtual environment, where e-commerce was a safe alternative to traditional forms of trading. The results suggest that both the supply and demand sides of the market were able to adapt to the nonstandard situation in a relatively short time. From the point of view of customer behavior, an increase in B2C interactions was recorded in both monitored markets. The dominant part of the interactions shifts to the time of the standard working week, the weekend decline in interactions was significantly below the average on both sides of the market. The presented results can contribute to the formulation of qualitative assumptions for deeper empirical research in the field. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
The issue of the impact of the pandemic on the economy is still relevant, especially in time after the peak of its second wave. Entities on both the supply and demand sides of the market had to adapt to highly non-standard market conditions in a relatively short time. Closing the economy, combined with social distancing, was supposed to slow the spread of the pandemic. The question of how successful this effort has been can only be answered over time. In any case, the consequences of a lockdown in the form of changes in common patterns of behavior can be monitored almost immediately. The aim of the presented study is to examine selected characteristics of consumer behavior of Slovaks during a pandemic compared to the reference pre-pandemic period. During the first lockdown in 2020, the B2C interactions of the five largest Slovak e-shops and their customers in the environment of the social network Facebook were monitored on a daily basis. The results suggest that customer interactions have shifted over time during the current day, while the interactions of content producers have remained unchanged. In order to remain effective in spending resources on promotion, companies will need to better reflect changes in customer behavior patterns in the future. At the same time, it is necessary to monitor how the identified trends will create new standards. © 2021 IDIMT 2021 - Pandemics: Impacts, Strategies and Responses, 29th Interdisciplinary Information Management Talks All rights reserved.