Innovations in the Management of E-Commerce: Analysis of Customer Interactions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

František Pollák, Michal Konečný and Deniss Ščeulovs
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František Pollák: Faculty of Corporate Strategy, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, Nemanická 436/7, 370 10 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Michal Konečný: Faculty of Corporate Strategy, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, Nemanická 436/7, 370 10 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Deniss Ščeulovs: Faculty of Engineering Economics and Management, Riga Technical University, Kalnciema Street 6, Room 408, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-22

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.

Keywords: innovation; management; e-shop; social network; facebook; pandemic; e-consumer behavior; Czech Republic; Latvia; regional development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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