Interactions between e-commerce users during the COVID-19 pandemic period: What came and what remained

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the online sales industry experienced record-breaking growth. The number of businesses that decided to enter the e-commerce market for the first time was enormous. At the height of the quarantine, Brazil was registering a new virtual store every minute. This was an unanticipated and unplanned expansion.

This study aims to identify existing challenges in human interactions with e-commerce, such as the difficulties faced during the pandemic and improvements to ensure growth of, and confidence in, this type of business.

An exploratory study of e-commerce data and an online survey using the snowball non-probabilistic method were developed to research the growth of, and issues in, Brazilian users' interaction with e-commerce, comparing findings before and after the pandemic restrictions.

Some businesses were not prepared, and the lack of experience among workers contributed to businesses not delivering on their promises. The acceleration of e-commerce demonstrates the need to guarantee that Brazil can effectively use e-commerce to capitalize on digital supply chain opportunities and enhance their role in its economic expansion, while remaining human-centered.

For users' needs to be met, companies and online workers must understand people's needs and behaviors in order to provide excellent service.