IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/aes/amfeco/v25y2023is17p1095.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainable Development of E-commerce in the Post-COVID Times: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Pestle Factors

Author

Listed:
  • Adriana Dima

    (Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania)

  • Elena Radu

    (Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania)

  • Ecaterina Milica Dobrota

    (Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania)

  • Adrian Otoiu

    (Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania)

  • Alina Florentina Saracu

    (Dunarea de Jos University, Galati, Romania)

Abstract

E-commerce represents an essential part of modern business, with a significant growth in recent years. Recent events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to a surge in online shopping and a rapid shift towards e-commerce, creating a new normal in the retail industry. To succeed in this changing landscape, it is important for organisations to understand the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental (PESTLE) factors that influence e-commerce. This exploratory research applies a mixed-methods approach to identify the PESTLE factors that affect the e-commerce landscape in post COVID times. The study was conducted by developing a questionnaire for organisations that use e-commerce in their operations and was applied to a sample of 309 Romanian firms, with mixed methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) and multinomial logistic regression. The results suggest that the pandemic has intensified the adoption of e-commerce, and businesses are focused on expanding their online presence and leveraging new technologies to enhance the customer experience. The findings contribute to understanding the PESTLE factors that influence e-commerce and can provide valuable insights for policymakers, businesses, and other stakeholders seeking to make informed decisions that facilitate the sustainable development of e-commerce. Limitations of this research include restricting the sample to Romanian organisations, with results that may be less relevant for other economies. Also, the study focuses on PESTLE factors, leaving other possible influences on e-commerce in the post-COVID period unaddressed.

Suggested Citation

  • Adriana Dima & Elena Radu & Ecaterina Milica Dobrota & Adrian Otoiu & Alina Florentina Saracu, 2023. "Sustainable Development of E-commerce in the Post-COVID Times: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Pestle Factors," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 25(S17), pages 1095-1095, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:aes:amfeco:v:25:y:2023:i:s17:p:1095
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.amfiteatrueconomic.ro/temp/Article_3257.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ren, Minglun & Liu, Jiqiong & Feng, Shuai & Yang, Aifeng, 2021. "Pricing and return strategy of online retailers based on return insurance," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    2. de Jong,Piet & Heller,Gillian Z., 2008. "Generalized Linear Models for Insurance Data," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521879149.
    3. Wagner, Gerhard & Schramm-Klein, Hanna & Steinmann, Sascha, 2020. "Online retailing across e-channels and e-channel touchpoints: Empirical studies of consumer behavior in the multichannel e-commerce environment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 256-270.
    4. Anas A. Al-Bakri & Marios I. Katsioloudes, 2015. "The factors affecting e-commerce adoption by Jordanian SMEs," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(7), pages 726-749, July.
    5. McKay-Nesbitt, Jane & Manchanda, Rajesh V. & Smith, Malcolm C. & Huhmann, Bruce A., 2011. "Effects of age, need for cognition, and affective intensity on advertising effectiveness," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 12-17, January.
    6. Anas A. Al-Bakri & Marios I. Katsioloudes, 2015. "The factors affecting e-commerce adoption by Jordanian SMEs," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(7), pages 726-749, July.
    7. Nisar, Tahir M. & Prabhakar, Guru, 2017. "What factors determine e-satisfaction and consumer spending in e-commerce retailing?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 135-144.
    8. Catherine Cole & Gilles Laurent & Aimee Drolet & Jane Ebert & Angela Gutchess & Raphaëlle Lambert-Pandraud & Etienne Mullet & Michael Norton & Ellen Peters, 2008. "Decision making and brand choice by older consumers," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 355-365, December.
    9. Jia Wang & Xijia Huang, 2018. "The Optimal Carbon Reduction and Return Strategies under Carbon Tax Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-14, July.
    10. Shahiduzzaman, Md. & Alam, Khorshed, 2014. "Information technology and its changing roles to economic growth and productivity in Australia," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 125-135.
    11. Anas A. Al-Bakri & Marios I. Katsioloudes, 2015. "The factors affecting e-commerce adoption by Jordanian SMEs," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(7), pages 726-749, July.
    12. Carrillo, Janice E. & Vakharia, Asoo J. & Wang, Ruoxuan, 2014. "Environmental implications for online retailing," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 239(3), pages 744-755.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Judit Oláh & Nicodemus Kitukutha & Hossam Haddad & Miklós Pakurár & Domicián Máté & József Popp, 2018. "Achieving Sustainable E-Commerce in Environmental, Social and Economic Dimensions by Taking Possible Trade-Offs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22, December.
    2. Tisdell, Clem, 2014. "Information Technology's Impacts on Productivity, Welfare and Social Change: Second Version," Economic Theory, Applications and Issues Working Papers 195701, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    3. Yang Lu, 2019. "Flexible (panel) regression models for bivariate count–continuous data with an insurance application," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 182(4), pages 1503-1521, October.
    4. Avanzi, Benjamin & Taylor, Greg & Wong, Bernard & Yang, Xinda, 2021. "On the modelling of multivariate counts with Cox processes and dependent shot noise intensities," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 9-24.
    5. Chenglong Ye & Lin Zhang & Mingxuan Han & Yanjia Yu & Bingxin Zhao & Yuhong Yang, 2022. "Combining Predictions of Auto Insurance Claims," Econometrics, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Bo Wang & Ning Wang, 2022. "Decision Models for a Dual-Recycling Channel Reverse Supply Chain with Consumer Strategic Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-18, August.
    7. Aivars Spilbergs & Andris Fomins & Māris Krastiņš, 2022. "Multivariate Modelling of Motor Third Party Liability Insurance Claims," European Journal of Business Science and Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Business and Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 5-18.
    8. Deprez, Laurens & Antonio, Katrien & Boute, Robert, 2021. "Pricing service maintenance contracts using predictive analytics," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 290(2), pages 530-545.
    9. Wang, Siqi & Cheah, Jun-Hwa & Lim, Xin-Jean & Leong, Yee Choy & Choo, Wei Chong, 2022. "Thanks COVID-19, I'll reconsider my purchase: Can fear appeal reduce online shopping cart abandonment?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    10. Aye Aye Myint, 2022. "Users’ satisfaction with e-government services: Case study on Myanmar companies online (MyCO) system," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 11(3), pages 73-81, April.
    11. Martin Branda, 2014. "Optimization Approaches to Multiplicative Tariff of Rates Estimation in Non-Life Insurance," Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research (APJOR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 31(05), pages 1-17.
    12. Jeonghwan Kim & Woojoo Lee, 2019. "On testing the hidden heterogeneity in negative binomial regression models," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 82(4), pages 457-470, May.
    13. Shuiwang Zhang & Qianlan Ding & Jingcheng Ding, 2023. "Return Strategy of E-Commerce Platform Based on Green and Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-18, July.
    14. Suyuan Luo & Tsan‐Ming Choi, 2022. "E‐commerce supply chains with considerations of cyber‐security: Should governments play a role?," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(5), pages 2107-2126, May.
    15. Adhikari, Arnab & Sharma, Megha & Basu, Sumanta & Jha, Ashish Kumar, 2022. "Uniform or spatially differentiated? Pricing Strategies for Information Goods under simultaneous and sequential decision-making in multi-market context," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    16. Yan, Nina & Zhang, Yaping & Xu, Xun & Gao, Yongling, 2021. "Online finance with dual channels and bidirectional free-riding effect," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    17. Paulo Rita & Ricardo F. Ramos, 2022. "Global Research Trends in Consumer Behavior and Sustainability in E-Commerce: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Knowledge Structure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-20, August.
    18. Qimeng Pan & Lysa Porth & Hong Li, 2022. "Assessing the Effectiveness of the Actuaries Climate Index for Estimating the Impact of Extreme Weather on Crop Yield and Insurance Applications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-24, June.
    19. Matsui, Kenji, 2016. "Asymmetric product distribution between symmetric manufacturers using dual-channel supply chains," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 248(2), pages 646-657.
    20. Nakano, Satoshi & Washizu, Ayu, 2018. "Induced effects of smart food/agri-systems in Japan: Towards a structural analysis of information technology," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(10), pages 824-835.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    e-commerce; PESTLE analysis; internet; retail;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:aes:amfeco:v:25:y:2023:i:s17:p:1095. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Valentin Dumitru (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aseeero.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.