Abstract
In the days leading to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, open innovations in the form of the deployment of digital marketing tools in the management portfolio were an option; in a time of forced closing of economies, they suddenly became a necessity. The aim of the comprehensive research, in which the presented study is prepared, is to describe the changes in e-consumer behavior that occurred in the market during the COVID-19 pandemic. The presented study examines the seasonal and regional specifics that characterize the markets of Central and Eastern Europe. In a sample of almost 14,000,000 Facebook users, the user interactions with ten selected representatives of the e-commerce sector were recorded daily during the 2020/2021 Christmas season lasting 49 days. By analyzing the nature and timing of interactions, it was possible to identify the geographical specifics of e-consumer behavior, as well as basic seasonality indicators based on a comparison with the reference period of the first half of 2020. The synthesis of the findings provided a knowledge base for compiling a preliminary version of the model of the COVID-19 pandemic impact on e-consumer behavior. In terms of changes in e-consumer behavior, it can be stated that the step change in e-behavior patterns caused by the pandemic merges with pre-pandemic behavior patterns. In general, it can be stated that the evolutionary process of the transition from offline to online the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a significant acceleration factor of inevitable changes.
Highlights
This research is based on two assumptions
Based on the assumption that geographically close units show similar characteristics [13], we looked for a reference market that would show certain features of cultural compatibility, but at the same time would correspond to a defined parameter of geographical specificity
The aim of our research is to provide empirical material necessary to create a model of the COVID-19 pandemic impact on e-consumer behavior
Summary
This research is based on two assumptions. The first assumption, or rather the foundation of management sciences, is a statement that innovation is one of the basic functions of business [1,2]. The second assumption is the continuity of changes in the market. Under the pressure of continuous change in the global market, commercial companies are exposed to considerable business risk. The last domain of standardized marketing in the form of proximity to the customer, in the sense of brick-and-mortar stores as the place where business transactions were predominantly executed, is endangered by the changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of their advent, information technologies gave e-business pioneers a significant competitive advantage [3,4,5]. Businesses benefited both from shortening communication channels and optimizing business processes. A by-product of deploying e-business tools in business was information, which represented a significant competitive advantage for companies [6].
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