CONSUMER ONLINE SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA POST-COVID-19
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way individuals and companies function. Several authors investigated consumer behavior after the appearance of the virus. However, no study in Serbia examined online shopping patterns after the pandemic, i.e., after the official declaration of the end of the pandemic by the World Health Organization in May 2023 (post-COVID-19). The aim of this paper is to explore whether there is a significant association between purchasing online before and in the post-COVID-19 period, as well as between consumer age and location and purchasing behavior in the post-COVID-19 period. The data of 298 respondents from Serbia was collected during January 2024. The Chi-square test results indicated a relationship between online shopping habits before and after the pandemic, with 73% of previous non-online shoppers adopting e-commerce in the post-pandemic period. However, the results also revealed no significant association between age or location and the decision to shop online after the pandemic. The study suggests that businesses should prioritise enhancing online shopping platforms, as many consumers have continued or begun using them. Furthermore, it recommends that businesses implement broader, more uniform strategies. Moreover, the study provides a theoretical contribution by expanding knowledge on consumer behavior in the post-pandemic period.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME240302024I
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