The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on e-commerce: changes in the buying process of online retail consumers

Abstract

The pandemic of the disease COVID-19 emerged when the world least expected it and, therefore, influenced, both positively and negatively, several industries and individuals, in particular e-commerce and online consumer behavior. It is important to investigate this theme, because it is essential to know the behaviors of potential customers of an online store, especially in times of pandemic where confinement at home is inevitable. 

In this context, this article aims to understand how the pandemic period influenced e-commerce and what changes were found in the buying process of online retail consumers. To this end, a systematic review of the literature on the subject was carried out, and the concepts inherent to the theme were defined and explained: E-Commerce, Business-to-Consumer, Consumer, Online Consumer, Consumer Behavior and Online Consumer Behavior. From this study, it was possible to contextualize the influence that the pandemic period had in Portugal, concerning e-commerce and also, the main changes observed in online consumers.