CORRELATION OF COVID-19 IN THE ONLINE PURCHASING PROCESS

Abstract

The paper establishes the central point for researching factors that influence buying decisions in the online purchasing process. The benefits of e-commerce for both buyers and sellers place it as the default method of shopping in the near future. Through empirical research, e-commerce growth is being established as rapidly rising through recent years, which has been accelerated by specific factors introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data shows that e-commerce is dependent on several different factors during normal circumstances, which also include the level of development of the country as one of the main precursors. The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic influenced greatly the importance of these established factors for online purchasing, rendering many of them obsolete. The paper structures the research to outline the most relevant factors influencing online purchasing decisions pre-pandemic and during pandemic times, and to draw relevant conclusions and recommendations for future practical implementations of e-commerce models. Research shows that new factors need to be introduce in these types of abnormal times, as the nature of the pandemic made non-contact interactions the norm in the past year. By introducing the six stages of pandemic behavior, online retailers can better understand the factors influencing online purchasing process in pandemic times. Finally, specific recommendations can be made to improve the e-commerce acceptance both at industry and company levels.