Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior During

the COVID-19 Pandemic

Frantisek Pollak, Peter Markovic, Jan Vachal, and Roman Vavrek

1 Introduction

Since the transition from production to product marketing, authors researching not
only in management sciences [1, 2] have been dealing with processes that influence
the development of consumer behavior. The goal of this enormous effort is to
produce new knowledge and develop effective practices that can be applied in the
process of continuous market change [3, 4]. Ideally, this is a predictable change that
creates the conditions for its management. The process of digitization of supporting,
but gradually also directly transactional processes of exchange of goods and services
can be described as a controlled change [5]. This process can be dated to the 1990s
of the twentieth century.
The evolutionary process of the gradual integration of e-commerce tools into
business was in principle not an existential precondition for market survival.
Business entities that did not directly require the deployment of ICT tools for
their business only carefully considered the benefits that investing in innovation
could generate. In circumstances that encourage “only” evolutionary changes, the
processes caused by these changes are also “only” evolutionary.

F. Pollak () · J. Vachal

Faculty of Corporate Strategy, Institute of Technology and Business in Ceske Budejovice, Ceske
Budejovice, Czech Republic
e-mail: frank.pollak@acuityeng.com
P. Markovic
Department of Business Finance, Faculty of Business Management, University of Economics in
Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
R. Vavrek
Department of Public Economics, Faculty of Economics, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava,
Ostrava, Czech Republic

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 95

H. Gao et al. (eds.), Intelligent Processing Practices and Tools for E-Commerce
Data, Information, and Knowledge, EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication
and Computing, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78303-7_6
96 F. Pollak et al.

At this point, we come to the key question: What would happen if market
circumstances changed in shock, with both sides of the market being able to adapt
to these changes?
Until recently, this question was fundamentally hypothetical. The end of 2019
marked the end of the usual rules that we have followed in the market for business
transactions and their support processes for decades. The first months of 2020
created the preconditions for revolutionary change in almost every aspect of our
functioning [5–7]. The determinant of these changes was the emerging global
COVID-19 pandemic, which tested the stability of management systems at almost
all levels and areas of social activity.
This priority medical problem soon transcended the field of medicine and became
a multidisciplinary issue. Our study focuses on the economic and managerial
implications of the problem. From the point of view of economics and management,
the market faced a situation unparalleled since the end of the Second World War. In
order to stabilize the pandemic situation, national governments approached local
and later national closures. These forms of closure were not only in the nature of
closing national borders, but at the time of the peak of the first wave of the pandemic,
in many cases the mortar and brick infrastructure was closed in order to minimize
the mobility of the population.
Almost from evening to morning, the physical shops of most companies were
closed, apart from the necessary shops ensuring the satisfaction of basic needs
and the operation of critical infrastructure. Despite this closure, the restrictions
did not mostly apply to e-commerce operations, which had to replace the failure
of the traditional offer quite unexpectedly. The existence of an infrastructure
enabling electronic commerce was no longer just a supplement to the traditional
way of doing business. It was the only possible alternative to closing a business
for an unpredictable period of time. Businesses were forced to optimize both
communication and sales as well as distribution channels in a relatively short time.
In addition, optimization was performed at the time of hyper-demand of almost
every type of goods. This was partly a panic reaction of the market to the crisis, but
partly it was also a rational need for supplies. Here we encounter the well-known
statement that a threat on the one hand can be an opportunity on the other.
The market situation was used by strong local as well as national players, where
they strengthened their market position through their years of built e-commerce
infrastructure. Businesses that did not innovate sufficiently were faced with a
relatively simple choice, which consisted of the rapid application of e-commerce
tools to their business, or the closure of their business (in many cases, the total
closure). It was no longer an alternative, but an elementary tool of market survival.
The issue of the business transaction itself was only one part of a complex problem.
The flow of information determining (and enabling) business transactions is not
limited to the purchase itself [8]. It is preceded by a pre-purchase phase and is
followed by a post-purchase evaluation. Only in this way can a substantially random
transaction become a predictable and controlled process [9].
At this point, we come to another fundamental topic of our topic, which is the
process of consumer/user behavior (for the purposes of our study, we consider
Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic 97

the term consumer and user as synonyms, but also aware of the contextual and
content differences between the two concepts). Limited mobility has resulted in
increased user interactivity in the virtual world of the Internet. Even in this case, the
assumption of energy conservation applies. A failure in one sphere is compensated
in another. Under the pressure of circumstances, even social media companies were
forced to reconsider their attitude to this form of communication. Even in this case,
it can be stated that the winners were traders who had the appropriate infrastructure.
Their long-term purposeful activity aimed at the environment of virtual social
networks represented a significant advantage over their more skeptical competitors.
Thus, the crisis situation on the supply side created several threats and opportunities
at the same time. Let’s now look at the demand side of the market.
From the point of view of consumers, we have also seen major changes during
the pandemic, especially from the point of view of a shift in the usual patterns
of behavior. In current studies Jegdish [10] as well as Colleen and Rifkin [11]
described unusual patterns of behavior that could be observed in the onset of a
pandemic. Consumers, like producers, have responded to the unusual situation by
improvising. According to Wang et al. [12] from the point of view of basic goods
such as foodstuffs, we again encounter the effect of the accumulation of stocks. We
are also facing a return to regionalization and a departure from the global [13, 14].
Last but not least, e-commerce in general should be mentioned. Under the pressure
of circumstances, he becomes the primary choice of the consumer. The subjects
of traditional as well as e-commerce, whose promotional tools were until recently
dominantly saturated, especially traditional media, move their activities from offline
to online. According Lv et al. [15] many marketers are increasingly inclined to
promote themselves through one of the social media. While using a wide range
of tools to actively communicate with its consumer market. This fact was one of
the key prerequisites for our research. We considered it necessary to examine the
changes in consumer preferences caused by the pressure of a highly nonstandard
situation caused by a global pandemic.
As part of our study presented in this chapter, we will look at the issue of
customer groups and their online interaction, as a generator of data for researchers
seeking for additional values to strengthening business competitiveness [16, 17].
The aim of this chapter is therefore to present chosen applications of innovative
online evaluation methods based on real-time data analysis which can be applied to
examine and describe selected characteristics of e-Customer behavior in a sharply
non-standard environment.
In order to approach the knowledge base of the analyzed issues, the chapter
in the first part presents the results of Desk research on the issue of Consumer
behavior taking into account the transition of its traditional understanding toward e-
Consumers. The aim of the second part of the chapter is to describe and evaluate the
online activity of customer groups of the ten largest e-commerce entities operating
in the Czech and Slovak market during the state of emergency declared in the Czech
Republic from March to May 2020, and from March to June 2020 in the Slovak
Republic.
98 F. Pollak et al.

Study itself created a space for identifying possible patterns of behavior based
on sample of almost two million customers of the 10 key e-commerce players on
the Central European market. With a view to creating a qualitative knowledge for
future in-depth research into the impact of the pandemic on consumer behavior is
the ambition of the authors of the chapter to contribute to the shift of knowledge in
both economic and managerial sciences.

2 Basic Definition of Key Terms and Contexts

In the following subchapter, as part of the analysis in its initial state, we will
deal with the concepts of customers, consumers and, last but not least, consumer
behavior, all from the point of view of the key terms and definitions.

2.1 Customer Versus Consumer

Vysekalová et al. [18] claim that we all play the role of consumer and customer
throughout life. However, there is a fundamental difference between the two
concepts. A consumer can also be a child for whom the customer mother buys
baby food or diapers. Based on this example, we can say that the consumer is a
more general term and represents a person who is the end user of the benefits of
consuming the product, even if he is not a direct buyer. From the point of view
of the business transaction itself, the customer is a specific person who orders,
buys and/or pays for the product. From the point of view of the reference authors
[19], it is possible to meet with partial agreement, that the customer does not
necessarily have to be a consumer and also the consumer does not necessarily have
to be a customer. However, as part of sales promotion, traders are encouraged to
pay close attention to both groups. As well as the need to pay attention to what
products consumers demand. It is also important to make an effort and attract the
attention of customers, as they make the final purchase decision together. Joseph
[20], on the other hand, recommends focusing marketing efforts primarily on the
final consumer, as customers will only buy the products if they require them. An
example is children’s toys, where it is necessary to attract the child—the consumer,
who will then appeal to the parents—customers who buy him a toy. There are a
number of different typologies of customers, in terms of influencing their purchasing
decisions Vysekalová et al. [18] brings a relatively unorthodox classification of the
four basic typologies of customers based on a combination of personality traits and
opinion orientations. These are the following groups:
• Bioorganic customers—predominantly focused on natural and organic products.
• Visionaries—predominantly focused on innovation and new products.
Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic 99

• Hedonists—predominantly focused on experiencing joy and maximizing enjoy-

ment.
• Individualists—dominantly oriented toward a holistic perception of the product,
including its story and their possible participation in the process of its creation
(in this case, it is a relatively new trend of mass individuality).
As part of the process of assimilation, each of these groups had to sacrifice part
of their comfort in the form of consumer preferences for a crisis situation. To some
extent, their customer preferences have been reflected in their consumer behavior.
This only contributed to the inhomogeneity of the variables, which entered into a
complicated pattern of demand-side preferences. However, let’s look at the decision-
making process itself and the factors that determine consumer behavior.

2.2 Consumer Behavior

Cant et al. [21] defines consumer behavior as an issue that examines the process of
decision-making, selection, purchase, and consumption of products by individuals
or groups in order to satisfy their needs and desires. Due to the fact that there
are a relatively large number of inhomogeneous variables, understanding this
process is relatively difficult. Customers often change their decision at the last
minute, depending on various influences. It is therefore necessary to constantly
examine both needs and processes or the behavior itself during the purchase. In
the professional literature [22] we encounter the statement that it is the consumer
and his mental world that play a key role in the entire purchasing process. This most
important component of the whole process is called the black box. Vysekalová et
al. [18] defines the aforementioned black box as the interaction of a consumer’s
predisposition to a particular purchasing decision. The decision-making process
itself is also affected by various environmental stimuli. The starting element of the
whole process is the stimulus, not only internal but also external. In this sense, the
black box is a mental process that we cannot quantify or examine.
The following figure illustrates a model of a consumer’s black box (Fig. 1).

Exogenous

Impulses Responses
Black box

Fig. 1 Consumer black box model

100 F. Pollak et al.

Fig. 2 Consumer
decision-making process Awareness
model

Research

Consideration

Conversion

Re-purchase

The purchasing process is not equal to the business transaction itself. The process
as such precedes the transaction in advance and then continues for a certain time
following the act of purchase itself [23, 24]. That is why a holistic perception
of the whole process is necessary, not just a perception of the purchase decision
itself. According to Kotler et al. [25] the purchasing decision model consists of five
phases, with the consumer going through all the phases of each purchase. The only
exceptions are routine purchases, where the customer often skips some phases or
changes their order. The following figure illustrates the whole process as follows
(Fig. 2):
We find this concept decomposed in the work of many authors, Jakubíková [26]
states that the first step of the decision-making process is to know the problem,
during which the customer is aware of the existence of need. This further leads
him to a decision and subsequent purchase. The customer can recognize the need
himself, or he can be alerted to its existence by the environment or by various
means of marketing communication. Every decision requires a certain amount of
information, because a lack of information increases the feeling of risk and, on
the contrary, its excess can lead to disorientation. The information retrieval phase is
therefore an integral part of the decision-making process. Within it, it is important to
focus in particular on the form in which information reaches the customer, whether
from personal sources or commercial means. Pride and Ferrell [27] state that, in the
third stage, the customer compiles the product groups on the basis of the information
obtained, which he perceives as possible alternatives. To assess the products, the
customer uses evaluation criteria based on his individual preferences. If the phase
of evaluation of alternatives brings a concrete result, it is possible to proceed to the
next step of the purchasing decision-making process and thus to the implementation
of the purchasing decision represented by the market exchange. Kotler et al. [25]
further state that in most cases the purchase decision leads to the actual purchase of
the product. However, between the evaluation of alternatives and the implementation
of the purchasing decision, two important factors appear, namely the attitudes of
Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic 101

others, respectively the customer’s surroundings and unexpected situational factors.

These variables can completely change the original purchase intent. That is why
it is necessary for traders to try to understand these factors and at the same time
encourage the customer to buy. Cant et al. [21] add that the process does not end
with the execution of the decision or the purchase itself. Another phase, called
post-shopping behavior, also plays an important role, during which the customer
acquires a certain degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction from the made purchasing
decision. This positive or negative experience is then reflected in the customer’s
future purchasing decisions in the form of a repeat purchase. This final phase of
the process also significantly affects the loyalty and emotional connection of the
customer with a particular brand or seller.

2.3 Key Characteristics of the Decision-Making Process

In order to take a holistic approach to the issue, it is necessary to mention the four
key groups of purchasing characteristics as defined by Kotler and Armstrong [28].
The authors define four key groups of shopping characteristics, namely cultural,
social, personal and psychological, which influence the decision-making process,
but also the overall shopping behavior of consumers. Although many of these factors
cannot be directly influenced by traders, they can at least use them in the process
of identifying potential buyers, creating products, or to better meet the needs of
consumers in general.
Cultural factors—Pajonk and Plevová [29] claim that culture is the basic starting
point of human desires and behavior. It is therefore important for marketers to
understand that culture, subculture, and social class play an important role in the
consumer’s decision-making process. They must also realize that human behavior
is largely learned. A child who grows up in a society learns and takes over from its
members almost all the basic values, norms and attitudes.
Social factors—According to Goviradajany [30], social factors such as reference
groups, family, friends, social organizations or professional associations strongly
influence the choice of products and brands of their consumers. The position of an
individual in groups can be understood as a role or status. Individuals then choose
products and brands that reflect their individual role and status.
Personal factors—Mulačová, Mulač et al. [31] ranks personal factors among the
most influential factors. In particular, age, stage of life, employment, economic
situation, lifestyle, personality, as well as the way of perceiving oneself. These
factors can be monitored through external individual features and then used to
influence the consumer throughout the purchasing decision-making process.
Psychological factors—Pajonk and Plevová [29] also mention these equally
important factors. Which consist of perception, motivation, learning, beliefs and
attitudes. The uniqueness of psychological characteristics leads to relatively consis-
tent and constant reactions to the environment.
102 F. Pollak et al.

Other important factors according to Boček, Jesenský, and Krofiánová [32]

include the place of sale and purchase conditions. The store can be an important
motivational means if it corresponds to the value system or the needs of the
customer. Pajonk and Plevová [29] further believe that in some cases customers
perceive the atmosphere in the store much more sensitively than the properties of
the product itself. This effect of the shopping environment can be even stronger
than their original purchasing decision. As Krishna [33] states, the atmosphere thus
has a direct influence on the customer’s behavior or the formation of his attitudes
toward goods and services. Proof of this is the case in 1990, when the Ross School
of Business faced mild criticism after the university library stated that a number
of books and magazines would only be available online. The report led to protests
from faculty members. However, the university had clear reasons for disagreement.
Initially, the professors came up with explanations such as “I like to smell paper,”
“I love the smell of libraries,” or “It’s just not the same.” The individual answers
were not sufficiently relevant and therefore it was necessary to prepare them in a
form that would sound a little more logical and at the same time correspond to the
answers of university professors. The final justification was the version in which the
atmosphere of the libraries allegedly increased the productivity and diligence of the
students. In this case, it was not just a kind of collection of printed sheets of paper
or books, but something that is difficult to concretize and clarify, but at the same
time it affects our behavior. Solomon, Marshall, and Stuart [34] emphasize that the
store itself is a product which either adds or subtracts the value of the goods which
the customer has come to buy. In order to achieve the desired shape of the store,
it is therefore necessary to create the right atmosphere, especially by using colors,
lights, scents, equipment, as well as other elements.
In the case of a traditional purchasing process, all the factors mentioned represent
a relatively complex design that the seller should take into account when optimizing
his business processes. The traditional variables of the physical world largely
determine the overall shopping experience and also help shape overall purchasing
decisions, even in its final phase, in the form of repeat purchases. Thus, it can
be assumed that the literal breakdown of the whole spectrum of used and learned
procedures will cause a considerable degree of discomfort for the customer, which
will cause an identifiable change in his consumer behavior. Especially if we add
new variables in the form of real-time B2C interactivity and the supply shock
resulting from a highly nonstandard market situation to the purchasing decision-
making process. Used processes thus acquire a completely new and unknown
dimension. Under the pressure of circumstances, consumer behavior is changing
into e-consumer behavior. The following analytical part of the presented study is
devoted to the examination of selected specifics of this phenomenon.
Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic 103

3 Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior

The aim of this part of the chapter is to present chosen applications of innovative
methods based on real-time data analysis which can be applied to examine and
describe selected characteristics of e-consumer behavior, in our cause—the sharply
nonstandard environment.
The subchapter consists of description of the methodology, within which we
will focus on defining the main goal of the study, sample selection, chronological
description of data collection, and last but not least the data evaluation. Subse-
quently, we will proceed to the presentation of the main results of our research,
which we will follow up with a discussion of important characteristics and findings
that were identified in ours study.

3.1 Research Methods and Methodology

As mentioned in the introduction, the evolutionary process of the gradual integration

of e-commerce tools into business is under the standard conditions not an existential
precondition for market survival. Business entities that did not directly require the
deployment of ICT tools for their business only carefully considered the benefits
that investing in innovation could generate. In circumstances that encourage “only”
evolutionary changes, the processes caused by these changes are also “only”
evolutionary. At this point, we come to the key question: What would happen if
market circumstances changed in shock, with both sides of the market being able to
adapt to these changes?
The first months of 2020 created the preconditions for revolutionary change in
almost every aspect of our functioning. On 12th of March 2020, a state of emergency
was declared in Czech Republic in connection with a pandemic caused by a new
coronavirus, Slovak Republic followed this path with a short distance, when on 15th
of March 2020 also declared state of emergency. In both counties, there declaration
of the state of emergency resulted in partial closure of the economy and a significant
slowdown, in some cause lockdown of the brick-and-mortar B2C market.
The aim of the study is to examine specific changes in B2C interactions of Czech
and Slovak consumers during the first COVID-19 lockdown, through evaluation of
the activity of customer groups of the ten largest e-commerce entities operating in
the Czech and Slovak virtual market [35].
For Czech market, the observed period was set from 12th March to 17th May
2020/and for Slovak market, the observed period was represented from 15th March
to 13th June of 2020. The interactions of customer groups in the environment of the
virtual social network Facebook were systematically recorded on a daily basis.
Customer groups were in this case represented by fans of individual official
profiles of the five largest e-commerce operators in the Czech and five largest e-
commerce operators in the Slovak market.
104 F. Pollak et al.

The interactions of these customer groups for the purposes of the analysis
represent the reactions of the individual fans to the contribution with the nature
of marketing communication, which the e-commerce subject/profile manager of the
subject/published during the observed period on its official Facebook profile—fan
page. The reactions took the forms of likes, comments and shares.
Data collection was carried out by the interested researchers, doctoral students
who on a daily basis for 4 months recorded the number, type and nature of user
interactions, as well as the number and nature of contributions- posts published on
the profiles of e-commerce entities. Records was made in predefined time frames
with the time necessary to generate the final number of user interactions.
The collected data were classified, evaluated by means of descriptive statistics,
Kruskal-Wallis test (Q), Levene test (LE), and then graphically interpreted in
order to illustrate the key findings. The analysis process as well as its results are
subsequently discussed.

3.2 Results of the Analysis: The Czech Market

The specific situation created a model environment for examining the specifics of
customer behavior. As we stated in the theoretical overview, e-commerce brings
companies a wide range of advantages over traditional forms of trading. Among
other things, it is an advantage of real-time feedback [36]. As academic, as well
as practitioners we are more and more confronted with the fact that the value
of a company no longer lies in its economic indicators, but in its benefits for
society as such [37]. Customers transform themselves from nameless consumers
to active followers, to the e-communities that has their own dynamics, expresses
assertive feedback, and largely determines the value of an organization through
its attitudes, especially if it is a publicly traded organization. Examples are the
showcases of Western economies such as Apple or Tesla [38]. Based on those facts,
we formulated out initial research question, namely: What would happen if market
circumstances changed in shock, with both sides of the market being able to adapt
to these changes? Will the collapse of the traditional supplier-customer ties, forced
by the lockdown of the economies, affect the interaction of e-communities? In the
following table we are presenting the basic indicators of the activity of the monitored
entities. Selected business entitles, namely: Alza.cz, Mall.cz, CZC.cz, Aukro.cz
and Lidl ČR were represented by their official Facebook profiles. Customers were
represented by their user interaction to propagation activities already mentioned e-
shops. The results are presented through the following table and figures (Fig. 3;
Table 1).
During the 67 days of the state of emergency in the Czech Republic, we recorded
almost one million user interactions in the form of likes, comments and shares
to almost 700 posts, which took the form of various promotional activities of the
business entities we monitor. From the point of view of elementary indicators
of activity, in all monitored cases these are vital customer groups. Regarding the
Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic 105

Fig. 3 Indicators of overall activity—Czech market

Table 1 Indicators of overall activity—Czech market

Number of Number of Number of Number of Number of
posts (n) likes (n) comments (n) shares (n) days (n)
SUM 689 349,315 399,243 72,904 67
Daily max 18 28,082 96,261 11,559 67
Daily min 4 391 34 18 67
Daily average 10 5214 5959 1088 67
Daily modus 11 – – 42 67
Daily median 11 3556 924 325 67
Q = 181.9 (p < 0.01), LE = 24.2 (p < 0.01), Total fans 1,594,180

maximum values that customer interactions reached during the model day, from the
point of view of realized reference measurements [39], we recorded a significant
increase in all monitored parameters. The following visualizations present in detail
the values measured by us in terms of average accumulated frequencies of observed
interactions within the model week.
The following Table 2. presents the specific cumulative percentage values of user
interactions during each day of the model week, the data are as follows:
As can be seen from the Fig. 4. and Table 2., in terms of expected user
interactions, the most numerous are Wednesdays, which exceeds the daily averages
in each of the monitored parameters, is particularly interesting is the parameter
“Comment,” which reaches more than 400 precents of the average weekly value.
From the point of view of parameter “Comment” the least numerous is Saturday,
which reaches just 11 precents of the average daily value of the parameter, in
other words, from the point of view of the average relative frequency, comments
on interactions posted on Saturday are 89% below the average of a normal week.
From the point of view of the most valuable indicator of interactions “Share,”
106 F. Pollak et al.

Table 2 Indicators of overall activity—Czech market

ø Number of ø Number of ø Number of ø Number of
Day/interaction posts (%) likes (%) comments (%) shares (%)
Monday 121 91 74 170
Tuesday 107 67 35 62
Wednesday 123 197 445 177
Thursday 113 156 44 202
Friday 111 60 24 39
Saturday 66 64 11 28
Sunday 64 70 93 33

500%
450%
400%
350% ø Number of likes (%)
300%
250% ø Number of
200% comments (%)
150%
ø Number of shares (%)
100%
50%
0% ø Number of posts (%)

Fig. 4 Weekly interactions—Czech market

Thursday is the best. Which in terms of average relative numbers is a little more
than twice as powerful as the average daily value of the model week. In terms of
ranking, Thursday is followed by Wednesday and Monday, this indicator has been
identified in the reference research in the past, so this is a recurring trend [38].
From the point of view of the “Like” interaction, the most numerous Thursdays
is followed by Friday and Monday. In general, it is possible to observe a trend of
gradual decline of user interactions at the end of the week. Which, with a significant
dose of induction can be described as a positive, as this may indicate a trend that
even during the pandemic, the model week is retaining the characteristics of the
pre-pandemic period, when with the arrival of the weekend, the activity of users on
social networks gradually decreases. At the same time, as can be seen in Fig. 3., the
activity of subjects is also declining, where on the basis of the data measured by us,
we see almost half the activity of e-commerce subjects in terms of the number of
posts compared to the weekly average.
Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic 107

Fig. 5 Indicators of overall activity—Slovak market

Table 3 Indicators of overall activity—Slovak market

Number of
Number of Number of comments Number of Number of
Day / Interaction posts (n) likes (n) (n) shares (n) days (n)
SUM 668 171,138 59,684 8795 91
Daily max 14 6497 5854 1152 91
Daily min 3 52 0 3 91
Daily average 7 1881 656 97 91
Daily modus 9 910 488 6 91
Daily median 7 1016 358 29 91
Q = 252.1 (p < 0.01), LE = 127.6 (p < 0.01), Total fans approx. 500,000

3.3 Results of the Analysis: The Slovak Market

In the following table, we are presenting the basic indicators of the activity of the
monitored entities from the Slovak internet market. These are the following entities,
namely: Alza.sk, Mall.sk, Nay.sk, Martinus.sk, and Bonprix SR. The recorded
values are presented through the following table and figures (Fig. 5; Table 3).
During the 91 days of the state of emergency in the Slovak Republic, we recorded
almost quarter of million user interactions in the form of likes, comments and
shares to almost 700 posts, which took the form of various promotional activities
of the business entities we monitor. From the point of view of elementary indicators
of activity, in all monitored cases these are vital customer groups. Regarding the
maximum values that customer interactions reached during the model day, from the
point of view of realized reference measurements [39], we once again recorded a
significant increase in all monitored parameters.
If we look at the numbers in more detail, we will find that even among the best
subjects there are still entities that do not communicate with their customer groups
on a regular daily basis, while regular and targeted communication is essential for
108 F. Pollak et al.

both creating and subsequently building relationships in the online environment. At

the same time, it can be stated that from the point of view of user interactions, there
is still room for improvement. Conscious e-commerce players often initiated users’
responses by regular activities, which had a clear form of attractive e-marketing
communication.
On the other hands, a significant percentage of posts received only a slight
or no response from customer groups. It should be noted that marketing activity
which remains without customer response, is either incorrectly implemented or
insufficiently prepared. In any case, it is a wasted opportunity and an inefficient
use of resources, especially in turbulent times. In crisis, it is essential to maximize
efforts toward efficiency, otherwise active and efficient competitors can deprive us
of a long-established market advantage. So, let’s take a closer look at the following
visualization of interactions during the model week:
The following Table 4. presents the specific cumulative percentage values of user
interactions during each day of the model week, the data are as follows:
As can be seen from the Fig. 6 and Table 4, in terms of expected interactions, the
most numerous are once again the working days, namely Mondays, which exceeds
the daily averages in each of the monitored parameters, is particularly interesting
is the parameter “Share,” which reaches almost 300 precents of the average weekly
value. From the point of view of parameter “Share” the least numerous is Saturday,
which reaches not even 20 precents of the average daily value of the parameter,
in other words, from the point of view of the average relative frequency, shares on
interactions posted on Saturday are 83 precents below the average of a normal week.
From the point of view of the no less valuable indicator of interactions “Comment,”
Monday is once again the winner. Which in terms of average relative numbers is a
little more than twice as powerful as the average daily value of the model week. In
terms of ranking, Monday is followed by Wednesday and Thursday, this indicator
has been identified in the reference research in the past [38], so this is again a
recurring trend. From the point of view of the “Like” interaction, the most numerous
Mondays is followed by Thursday and Wednesday, in general even in the case of the
Slovak market it is possible to observe the trend of gradual decline of interactions
at the end of the week. This is especially visible when comparing Mondays and
weekends, where the difference is enormous. In our opinion there is a controversy

Table 4 Indicators of overall activity—Slovak market

ø Number of ø Number ø Number of ø Number of
Day/interaction posts (%) of likes (%) comments (%) shares (%)
Monday 125 148 222 257
Tuesday 121 101 105 84
Wednesday 114 105 127 134
Thursday 111 107 121 121
Friday 99 90 38 50
Saturday 70 79 39 17
Sunday 60 90 42 21
Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic 109

500%
450%
400%
350%
ø Number of likes (%)
300%
250% ø Number of
comments (%)
200%
ø Number of shares
150%
(%)
100% ø Number of posts (%)
50%
0%

Fig. 6 Weekly interactions—Slovak market

regarding the work efficiency and time management at the beginning of the new
week. Anyhow in any case the model week in pandemic and lockdown retains the
parameters of the model week before the pandemic, which from the point of view
of user preferences and habits we evaluate as a positive phenomenon. At the same
time, as can be seen in Fig. 4. the activity of Slovak e-commerce subjects with the
arrival of the weekend is also declining, where on the basis of the data measured by
us, we see just little more than half of the activity of subjects in terms of the number
of posts compared to the weekly average. Based on the presented findings, it can be
stated that the values measured by us create a qualitative knowledge base for deeper
quantitative research. The trends indicated in the parts of the subchapters dedicated
to the discussion on the finding of analysis correlate with the trends indicated in
our previous pre-crisis research [38]. The validity of the correlation will be tested in
follow-up studies.

4 Discussion

The restrictive measures that were applied in the markets we monitored in order to
slow down the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic created a highly nonstandard
situation that was unparalleled in the post-war period. The entire infrastructure,
which normally ensures the smooth running of all processes of human society was
110 F. Pollak et al.

closed Almost from evening to morning. The traditional supply chain has passed
a stress test when the traditional offer of goods and services had to be replaced
by e-commerce entities. Due to the circumstances, it was not possible to predict
future developments in the short term, which only exacerbated the nervousness of all
market players. In an environment of revolutionary changes in customer behavior,
we carried out the first phase of comprehensive research on market assimilation
to abruptly changed conditions. Empirical data have undergone basic statistical
processing to identify baseline qualitative findings for deeper quantitative analysis.
From the point of view of the examined sample, we can conclude that the processes
were handled well. In general, it is possible to observe the trend of gradual decline
of interactions at the end of the week, which can be with a significant dose of
induction described as positive, as this may indicate that during the lockdown caused
by pandemic, the model week is retaining the characteristics of the pre-pandemic
period [39]. As with the arrival of the weekend, the activity of users on social
networks gradually decreases on both observed markets.
In the monitored period of 67, respectively 91 days, we recorded more than
800,000 user interactions for almost 700 posts published on the profiles of subjects
for Czech market and more than quarter of millions of user interactions for almost
700 posts published on the profiles of subjects for Slovak market. When comparing
markets, it necessary to mention, that we take into account the fact that in terms
of population, the Czech market is twice as large, but in terms of the cumulative
number of fans of the monitored entities, it shows a much larger. While the
comparison of user tribes is 3:1 ratio in favor of the Czech market. So, if we take
into account the total number of fans of the subjects, we can state, that for both
markets we are dealing with relatively active customer groups.
Active feedback brings with in addition to the opportunity in the form of
real-time user information, also a significant threat in the form of reputational
risk [16, 17], which can easily damage the brand. Especially in the case of
uncontrollable variables created by an atypical market situation. In this case, we
rate the management of e-commerce entities examined in our study as significantly
positive. During the period under review, we did not notice a significant crisis
situation in terms of user feedback in connection with the crisis situation on both
markets as such. The most successful market players have optimized their processes
in order to maintain their reputation, and this effort to incorporate innovation into
service delivery processes is proving to be sufficient and well-targeted. Even in
times of market uncertainty and general market nervousness. From the point of view
of recorded interactions, we can state that despite the fact that the beginnings of the
lockdown were slightly rigid in the case of the monitored subjects, with increasing
days, the processes were optimized in the desired direction. Positive interactions
were maintained by the marketing communication of the subjects in the form of
various competitions, negative interactions were mostly in the nature of feedback
regarding the longer time of delivery of orders. An interesting innovation in the
e-marketing communication of the subject’s was applied by the Slovak internet
bookstore Martinus which initiated a relatively large group of followers to the
activity by a game on a superhero, which were played through comments on its
Analysis of E-Consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic 111

contributions. We rate this e-marketing activity more than positively, as we believe

that innovation is the main driver of modern marketing management [40, 41]. We
also fully agree with the quote of Petr Drucker, who claimed that Entrepreneurship
has two—and only two—basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and
innovation produce results, everything else is a cost. With this statement, we get to
the presentation of the final product of the chapter in the last part of our study.

5 Conclusions

Based on the studied materials and performed analyses, we can summarize the most
important findings regards and regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings
regardless of the pandemic are as follows:
• the best players in the e-market already adopted procedures for effective commu-
nication with their consumer base;
• within both markets, the same trend was observed in terms of number and timing
of posts, which suggests that uniform procedures are applied in the management
of e-marketing communication, instead of improvisation and experimentation;
• user interactions are used by companies as a source of active real-time feedback.
Findings regards of the pandemic are as follows:
• in both monitored markets, the trend of a decline in user interactions at the end
of the week was confirmed;
• the pandemic and the associated lockdown increased the differences between the
average frequencies of interactions during the working week and the weekend;
• the highest number of interactions of customer tribes of e-commerce entities in
the Czech market occurs in the middle of the working week;
• the highest number of interactions of customer tribes of e-commerce entities of
the Slovak market occurs at the beginning of the working week.
• in the case of both monitored markets, we are talking mainly about more time-
consuming interactions in the form of comments and shares;
• from the point of view of the most time-consuming interactions, Saturday is a
day of active rest from social media;
• taking into account the method of abstraction, it is possible to argue about the
fact, as the home office has influenced the increase in the number of customer
interactions of e-shops by creating opportunities to dilute the work commitment
during the working day. However, we do not have enough empirical material
to scientifically confirm our consideration of reduced productivity during home
office.
At the end of our study, it can be stated, that by the analysis of data of the
customer interactions in a highly nonstandard situation, we were able to outline
specific patterns of e-Consumer behavior, for example:
112 F. Pollak et al.

• decline of e-customer activity at the end of the working week in both monitored
markets;
• increase of e-customer activities during the working week in both monitored
markets.
This leads us to the assumption of a negative impact of the home office on
labor productivity, as well as to the assumption of partial inefficiencies from the
point of view of the use of resources regarding to the management of promotional
activities of the monitored e-shops. We believe that in the light of the findings
pointing to the shift in the e-consumers behavior patterns will be necessary (in
the event of a recurrence of the lockdown situation) reevaluate the usual e-
marketing communication procedures. Especially in terms of the timing and nature
of communicated messages.
We are of the opinion that created qualitative knowledge base can be used and
utilized for further research into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer
behavior for both economics and management sciences.
From the point of view of the limitations of the research presented in our study,
we can certainly state the main limitation lies in the relatively small research
sample (especially from the global point of view), which was allocated to the
Central European market. In order to confirm or exclude the effect of seasonality
on consumer behavior, we also consider it necessary to carry out an future analysis
aimed to the comparation of the period monitored by us with the same period in the
year after the end of the pandemic.

Acknowledgments This study is one of the partial outputs of the currently solved research grants
VEGA no. 1/0240/20 and VEGA no. 1/0140/21.

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