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Can e-commerce platforms build the resilience of brick-and-mortar businesses to the COVID-19 shock? An empirical analysis in the Chinese retail industry

Author

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  • Sirui Li
  • Ying Liu
  • Jing Su
  • Xin Luo
  • Xiao Yang

Abstract

We proposed a research model that examined the differences between the contributions of large, third-party e-commerce platforms and self-operated e-commerce platforms to businesses’ resilience to the COVID-19 shock. The difference-in-differences approach was employed to analyze a substantial sample of Chinese retailers. The study found that (1) under the baseline condition, the large, third-party e-commerce platforms built significant resilience for the brick-and-mortar businesses, (2) resource constraints induced by factor immobility weakened the contribution of large, third-party e-commerce platforms to the businesses’ resilience in regions of severe shock, and (3) the physical retailers’ self-operated EC platforms built resilience in regions of severe shock.

Suggested Citation

  • Sirui Li & Ying Liu & Jing Su & Xin Luo & Xiao Yang, 2022. "Can e-commerce platforms build the resilience of brick-and-mortar businesses to the COVID-19 shock? An empirical analysis in the Chinese retail industry," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/356995, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    • Handle: RePEc:ulb:ulbeco:2013/356995
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    Keywords

    Brick-and-mortar business; COVID-19; Digital resilience; E-commerce;
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