Impacts of the Pandemic on eCommerce (Research Paper Sample)

IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON ECOMMERCE
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Impacts of the Pandemic on eCommerce
Abstract
eCommerce is one of the ways considered in purchasing products apart from the traditional brick-and-mortar model of business. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people have embraced online business as the primary business model. This paper seeks to analyze the survey results to note how small-scale retailers have embraced eCommerce during the pandemic. A cross-sectional method of interviewing was used to gather data from the local traders and determine how they were affected by the new strategy and the changes in purchasing patterns. The results show that online business has tremendously increased since the pandemic as people have no other alternative due to the restrictions put in place.
Keywords: eCommerce, COVID-19 pandemic, retailers, purchasing patterns, online business
Introduction
The COVID-19 crisis has led many people across the globe to significantly minimize physical interactions to reduce the spread of the virus. The strict confinement measures have forced many businesses to reassess the traditional business models of a physical point of sale and embrace eCommerce's digital online transaction methods (Bhatti et al. 2020). Most retailers have stepped on to the challenge by joining online platforms to sell their products and ensuring that the customers' experience is convenient. Delivery service has tremendously increased due to the restriction measures to curb the virus. Most people seem to enjoy purchasing products in the comfort of their homes, which has immensely propelled the online business industry (Susmitha 2021). The change in shopping behavior appears to be more permanent rather than short-lived. In the quest to understand the pandemic's magnitude on eCommerce, this paper seeks to analyze the results of a survey on how small businesses embraced online business during the pandemic.
Methods
Study Design
The paper is based primarily on a cross-sectional survey of how small retail businesses got impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewing was used to collect the data from the respondents.
Sample Selection and Criteria
Grocery stores and food retailers were the primary respondents of this survey. The survey was randomized, a sample size of twenty respondents participated, and the interview method was employed. The interview questions addressed how people prefer the digital business to the traditional model? If loyalty was affected by this phenomenon change and the effect on sales. Most of the respondents were locally based and had a close connection to retail business as most were owners of these stores.
Statistical Analysis
The analysis is descriptive of the recent experience of the eCommerce sector participants. This survey does not represent the whole world but is a general glimpse of how eCommerce has reformed in the wake of COVID-19 for local retailers.
Results
The analysis shows that a rapid change has occurred in the business, with more than 50 percent of retailers opting for the digital business model. The change has resulted from most consumers avoiding brick-and-mortar shopping due to the fear of contracting the virus. Which has made most retailers opt for eCommerce to satisfy customers and more so for survival. The eCommerce platform has increased by 30 percent since 2020. The surge in online business varies in different businesses. Retailers in grocery stores and medical supplies stores had booming businesses as people showed more interest in items related to personal protection and food supplies. The only individuals who purchased miscellaneous products such as leisure items were forty percent which significantly reduced the sale of such services. Fast food joint owners admitted that eCommerce salvaged their businesses in the blink of permanent closure. Business owners notably pointed out that above 70 percent of consumers tried new products during the pandemic, while others entirely deserted their trusted brands due to inevitable reasons that disrupted brand loyalty.
Discussion
Undeniably, COVID-19 has impacted the eCommerce industry significantly, positively and negatively. However, overall, the online business platform has immensely grown because of the pandemic as people get forced to embrace technology to conduct business. The virus compelled consumers and retailers to embrace non-brick and mortar methods to conduct business due to the restrictions and lockdowns. Although the shipment gets delayed, the people have no option as they have to survive, and there is no alternative way. Some essential products, like sanitizers and protective gear, are in high demand, while some, like leisure activities, are still struggling since no one is purchasing such services (Sun 2021). Business owners are also putting extra effort into ensuring that the customers are satisfied with the services considering some have never practiced this business model.
Additionally, retailers note that customer loyalty has gets disrupted significantly. Inevitable reasons like limited freedom of movement have made people settle for what is available (Valaskova et al. 2021). Small-scale retailers have embraced social media platforms to conduct their businesses. Facebook and WhatsApp are helping in bridging that gap of consumer-seller distance (Galhotra and Dewan 2020). Recently, these platforms have blossomed as more peo