The Impact of COVID-19 on e-Commerce Through a Systematic Review

Abstract

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the world in a catastrophic way. The impact of COVID-19 brought in regulative measures such lockdown and human movement restrictive regulations; safety precautions needed to be put in place to help people stay safe from the virus infection. Some of the regulation included limiting traveling and implementing lockdown. The business sector was heavily affected and needed a solution immediately. The supply chain needed to continue to function hence the application of e-commerce was the most lucrative opportunity. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on e-commerce, both the negative and positive impacts were considered for this study. The suitable and utilised research approach for this study was the systematic review known as the PRISMA Protocol (PRISMA-P). Qualitative research method was chosen for this research paper, using search strings on the Emerald database to collect data. 50 Journal articles from the Emerald Insight database search were identified, these articles were further screened by analysing the title and abstract of the articles to assess their eligibility to be included in the study final analysis. After the eligibility criteria and exclusion process, 4 article were fully assessed and included in the study. This process of exclusion was done through the Mendeley website and the captured in the PRISMA flow diagram. The research findings indicate a correlation between the proliferation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the profitability of businesses conducting online transactions. Findings further indicate that COVID-19 improved digitisation, online shopping, and sales. In conclusion, this study has shown ways in which the e-commerce industry benefited from Covid-19, highlighting on the increase in sales and the use of digital platforms. Also, the novel coronavirus led to the increased digitisation of business processes and services.