How did online misinformation impact stockouts in the e-commerce supply chain during COVID-19 – A mixed methods study

Abstract

The proliferation of fake news across the internet has become a significant area of concern globally. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights that the propagation of fake news can jeopardize public health and heighten irrational behavior amongst consumers, like panic buying. However, the existing literature has not explored its impact on the supply chain. This study uses reactance and cognitive load theories to examine a model for fake news propagation causing supply chain disruption. Our research employed a computationally intensive big data-driven method across three studies to demonstrate misinformation's impact on supply chain disruption, identify the factors creating this impact, and validate an inferential analysis model to explain this phenomenon. Results highlight the relationship between unverified information sharing (UIS) and perceived threat, perceived scarcity, fear appeal, and information overload with panic buying. The paper dwells more profoundly on fake news disrupting the supply chain.