GENTJAN MEHMETI1, EDA LUGA2
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1,2Agricultural University of Tirana, Faculty of Economy and Agribusiness, Department of Agribusiness Management / Tirana, Albania *Correspondence: gmehemeti@ubt.edu.al Abstract The use of technology in all areas of life has made it part of social norms and life style. Consumer behavior in this new light has been modified in work, living and entertainment environments. The coexistence with technology was really challenged with the emergence of the pandemic Covid-19. In conditions of social distancing or even complete isolation the only way to connect with the world were technological devices and the Internet. This opportunity somewhat relieved the fear created in the population but also in the role and need of the consumer to buy and consume products. The purpose of this paper is to present through a review of the literature, the impact brought by the Covid-19 pandemic treated as a situational factor, to better measure consumer behavior through online shopping. Covid-19 is envisaged as a situational factor that influenced this behavior for experienced consumers in online shopping as well as for those with no experience at all. Online shopping studies often offer sometimes contradictory literature. Many consumers consider online shopping as a way to save time in choosing and evaluating product alternatives. This is also driven by the increased use of the internet and the increased familiarity with electronic devices. Has this behavior been observed even in the case of online purchases of food products? Food products are a category of products to which consumers are sensitive because they are directly related to consumer health. They are also in consumer choices purchases that are influenced by sensory features in choices. Online purchases of food products turned out to be a field of study where the literature presents little empirical data. This paper aims to contribute to the recognition of the impact of Covid-19 as an incentive for online shopping and to compare whether the presence of a global influencing factor such as Covid-19 proves that online shopping will be settled definitively or will be just an alternative. Keywords: Covid-19, food products, consumer behavior, situational factors, online shopping |
