Investigating How COVID-19 Affects Consumers\' Online Shopping Habits

Abstract

Abstract: The study of online consumer behavior is especially pertinent today given the development of the COVID-19 epidemic and the growing significance of e-commerce. The goal of this study was to provide a systematic framework for evaluating the linkages and degree of influence of the elements influencing online consumers' purchase behavior against the backdrop of the COVID-19 epidemic. The Cattell questionnaire was modified, and correlation analysis was used, as the foundation of the research approach. This study employed the questionnaire approach to ascertain the tendency of online consumer behavior at the moment of making a purchase choice. The proposed methodological toolkit to assess online consumers' purchasing behavior is the scientific contribution; it identifies the most important variables that affect this behavior and offers a chance to evaluate the dynamics of their activity over the course of the study, to spot important trends and assess behavioral changes. The study identified the expected alterations in online consumer purchasing patterns during the COVID-19 epidemic. Consumer experience and awareness have a bigger impact now. Consumers who shop online are now more seasoned, which has changed the activity of their purchasing habit. This study demonstrated the shifting impact of pandemic-related online consumer purchasing behavior determinants. When making online purchases of products and services, consumers' decision-making speed is becoming more and more crucial.