Framework for Assessing Online Shopping Use Under the Digital Transformation of the Economy in a Post-Pandemic Era

Introduction

Under the digital economy, traditional business models have entirely changed so that the digital transformation sharply impacted the transition in products and services (Pilik, Juřičkova, & Kwarteng, 2017). Earlier, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2014) clarifies that the Internet has entered every aspect of human life and society, particularly in driving innovation vis-à-vis business models and new products, as well as easing transactions. As a result, the global retail industry witnesses significant transformation through electronic commerce (e-commerce), whereby customers have substantially migrated from brick-and-mortar to online shopping activities. Also, the current Covid-19 pandemic, which affects every aspect of businesses positively and otherwise, has greatly ameliorated Business-to-Consumer (B2C) transactions (Zhao & Bacao, 2020).

With the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on businesses coupled with digital information, it becomes necessary for B2C e-retailers to keep assessing online shopping use among consumers, especially in a post-pandemic era, to shape their business sustainability and continuity planning. The retail industry is one of the most affected industries by the digital transformation, specifically in e-commerce B2C transactions. According to Chaffey (2016, p.27), B2C e-commerce is a commercial transaction between sellers and direct consumers. To achieve successful B2C transactions, e-tailers need proactive customer knowledge to effectively convert potential customers into actual buyers, especially in crises such as the Covid-19 Pandemic. Once they adequately achieve this situation, they might likely cushion the adverse effect and aftermath of the pandemic on the B2C dealings (Zhao & Bacao, 2021).

For instance, in a continued digitally transformed Asian economy, e-shopping has increasingly been adopted to the extent that most consumers continuously express interest in using it (Singh, & Srivastava, 2019) due to the rapid digital transformation in Asia and across the globe. As of March 2021, the global Internet users reached over 5.17 billion, having a 65.6% penetration rate (Internet World Stats, 2021). The total internet users stood at 2.76 billion in the Asia Pacific, indicating about a 63.8% penetration rate. This means an annual digital change of almost +9.2% (+204 million users). Similarly, global e-commerce spending has been projected to increase from $3.354 trillion in 2019 to $4.819 trillion in the first quarter of 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic (e-marketer, 2020). This shows that B2C e-commerce is significantly affected by the present pandemic coupled with widespread digital transformation among various economies. Consequently, e-retailers may be interested in keeping informed about whether customers will maintain this trend beyond the present pandemic and how the pandemic can play a contingent role in the BC2 transaction. Hence, addressing the preceding issues motivates the current proposition to conceptualise a framework for assessing B2C online shopping use under the digital transformation of the economy in a post-pandemic era.