Online learning from the perspective of the marketing product and its levels. An empirical example from Bulgaria

The pandemic, which began in 2020, has affected all areas of human activity. Education was also one of them, and its rapid adaptation to the new reality was a condition for guaranteeing the level of its quality. In order to comply with the recommendations for action during a pandemic, the educational process was moved entirely online. This process took place literally over the span of a single day, wherein the physical classrooms became virtual, and the teachers and students were faced with the challenge of changing their previous approaches in order to respond and deal with the situation. In this regard, for the purposes of the present paper, the understanding of online learning in higher education is reduced to the level of a marketing product, as a part of the marketing mix. The different levels of the product in the context of online learning are examined, as well as the factors that lead to the success of the products. The advantages, disadvantages and opportunities for improving online learning in higher education are studied based on own empirical research conducted among 230 students at different universities.