Impact of COVID-19 on Online Shopping: A Study on Marks and Spencer

This research report analyses the impact of COVID-19 on changing behaviour of customers towards online shopping within the retail industry, with a focus on Marks and Spencer. It identifies the benefits and challenges faced by the retail sector due to COVID-19 regarding online shopping.

Research Proposal

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Background of the topic..............................................................................................................3
Company overview.....................................................................................................................3
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................4
Impact of COVID-19 over the online shopping..........................................................................4
Benefits of online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic....................................................4
Challenges faced by retail sector due to COVID-19 regarding online shopping........................5
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Background of the topic
The COVID-19 crisis led towards the dramatic shifts regarding the behaviour of consumers. For
this, retailers need to have work hard in order to meet ever-evolving customer experience need to
win and remain relevant. Digital first and omni-channel retailers tends to pivoted more
effectively but the retailers who prioritised physical stores and face to face involvement over the
omni-channel to have respond towards (Showrav and et. al., 2021). The pandemic tends to
change the consumer behaviour respectively as the availability of e-commerce and hygiene
considerations are enhancing the switching behaviour of customers by making them away from
the primary store.
Company overview
For this research, Marks and Spencer is considered which is a British multinational retailer
headquarter in London, England. Company deals in clothing, home products and food products
and most of the products with its own label. Marks and Spencer was founded by Michael Marks
and Thomas Spencer in 1884. Further, company has around 959 stores across the UK from
which approximately 615 sells food products.
Research aim
The main aim of this report is “To analyse the impact of Covid-19 on changing behaviour of
customers towards online shopping within the retail industry”. A study on Marks and Spencer.
Research objectives
 To determine the impact of COVID-19 over the online shopping.
 To identify the benefits of online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 To analyse the challenges faced by retail sector due to COVID-19 regarding online
shopping.
Research questions
 What are the impact of COVID-19 over the online shopping?
 What are the benefits of online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic?
 What are the challenges faced by retail sector due to COVID-19 regarding online
shopping?
Rationale of research

The main reason of choosing the research is to analyse the impact of COVID-19 over the online
shopping considering the retail sector and its benefits and challenges which are faced by the
retailers. This study is helpful for the both the professional and personal viewpoint like in terms
of professional, its benefit is to analyse about the impact of COVID-19 over the retailers and also
deal with the issues. In terms of personal level, it is helpful to enhance the skills like time
management, communication, research skills and so on. Further, it is helpful for me in terms of
developing the sound professional career for the future considering the overall development
regarding personality to deal with the issues.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Impact of COVID-19 over the online shopping
As per the viewpoint of Meyer, (2021), the global pandemic of COVID-19 is likely to define
rapid changing situation as the amount of people are deemed to safe to collect at the single place.
The global pandemic of COVID-19 put positive impact over the online shopping and also helps
in broadening their overall scope and range. The crisis accelerated towards the expansion of e-
commerce towards new firms, customers and types of products. It also tends to provide
customers to have prominent access regarding the variety of products considering their
convenience and safety to their homes (Luan and et. al., 2021). It also tends to enhance the
dynamism in the e-commerce landscape across the countries and also expanded the scope of e-
commerce considering the new firms, consumer segments and so on.
Benefits of online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic
From the viewpoint of Ross, (2020), during the pandemic of COVID-19, online shopping has
several benefits like an individual shop in their limits or nearly impossible because of the fear of
spread of virus that leads to save the money of people. In terms of Marks and Spencer, online
shopping bring comfort at the home as it leads to neglect parking hassles, long lines and the
dodging crowds at the time of holiday season. It is beneficial as online shopping has ability to
shop at any time (24*7) and there is no long lines at the checkout (Arora and Srinivasan, 2020).
Further, packages are also delivered at the doorstep as individual does not need to leave the
house and the reviews features are helpful for them in order to compare their products to make
their purchase prior.

Challenges faced by retail sector due to COVID-19 regarding online shopping
As per the perspective of Federica, (2020), social distancing has created the challenge of online
spending at the large level considering the distribution sector that results in the unable to manage
things efficiently undertaking the internet platform in several cases that are failed to meet the
massive number of accesses. Thus, the process should be re-organised and the omni-channel
approach must be guaranteed as much as possible. For this, Marks and Spencer need to deal with
more effectively considering the queue management by employing more staff dedicated to
managing the flow and also make sure the further increment of e-commerce channel by
considering the “click&collect” model (Taufik and Ayuningtyas, 2020).
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is important because it helps in collecting data and information in an
effective manner. For this, research onion framework is used to understand the research methods
that discussed as:
Research philosophy: This process is opted to collect and evaluate the information
regarding the specific topic. It include two main philosophies like positivism and interpretivism.
Here, researcher consider positivism as it is effective and valuable in order to take less time and
resources that helps in accomplish the positive result. Therefore, it is identified that it is one of
best suited way that helps in getting more significant decision considering the real time situation.
Research approach: This process undertake the evaluation of specific topic as it include
deductive and inductive that are the two main research approaches. For this, researcher will
consider deductive approach as it helps in evaluating the quantitative data considering the limited
cost and time period (Kang and et. al., 2020). Further, there is another reason to opt deductive as
it is based on the fact because there is no other way of testing the numeric data considering the
information. Hence, it helps in generalising the research finding in significant manner.
Research strategy: The main research strategies are the action research, case study,
survey and so on. Here, survey is used as it is helpful for the researcher to collect data that helps
in gaining reliable and valid result of the research. The reason for opting this method is to help
the effective collection and first hand details from the respondents.
Research choice: It is the essential form of research methodology that include two main
choices including qualitative and quantitative as both are effective. Here, the researcher tends to
use quantitative research which is useful because it leads to provide numerical information

considering the less period of time (Witczyńska, 2020). This method helps in collecting reliable
and effective information considering the effective period of time. Further, this method is
effective because it helps in collecting facts properly and systematically.
Time horizon: It is the essential source of research as without it, the researchers cannot
finish the project on time. It include two main approaches like longitudinal and cross-sectional.
For the present research, cross-sectional approach is considered as it helps in achieving the work
in best way within the given period of time. Further, it help sin completing the activities in the
allocated time period without any issue.
Data collection: This process helps in collecting the primary and secondary data by the
effective and reliable sources (Hoseini and Beck., 2020). To complete the research, both the
methods are useful but primary data including questionnaire is helpful in getting reliable and
positive outcome in less period of time and the chosen respondents are 40 (retailers, customers,
suppliers). But the use of secondary source is useful in gaining in-depth knowledge of the
research topic from the reliable sources.
Sampling: It include the effective process for opting the sample considering the total
population by two method including non-probability and probability sampling. For this,
probability sampling and the reason as it helpful in selecting the large base of sample in less time
period. The main objective of opting this is that participants have the idea regarding the ground
working.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
From the above discussion, it has been identified that online shopping bring lot of factors with it
including the major impact over the retail sector considering several benefits and challenges at
the time of global pandemic COVID-19. For this, effective research is conducted undertaking the
effective methods and approaches of research and the respondents. For this, it is suggested that
company need to take strong action to uptake of e-commerce across regions considering the
emerging economies in order to make the greatest shift to online shopping and also take
initiatives to stop interface of tariffs that can become barriers in servers.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Arora, A.K. and Srinivasan, R., 2020. Impact of pandemic COVID-19 on the teaching–learning
process: A study of higher education teachers. Prabandhan: Indian journal of
management, 13(4), pp.43-56.
Hoseini, M. and Beck, T., 2020. Emergency loans and consumption–evidence from covid-19 in
iran. Covid Economics, 45(28), pp.111-146.
Kang and et. al., 2020. COVID-19 impact on city and region: what’s next after
lockdown?. international journal of urban sciences, 24(3), pp.297-315.
Luan and et. al., 2021. Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on individual's travel mode choice in
China. Transport Policy, 106, pp.271-280.
Showrav and et. al., 2021. Factors influencing the rapid growth of online shopping during covid-
19 pandemic time in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Academy of Strategic Management
Journal, 20, pp.1-13.
Taufik, T. and Ayuningtyas, E.A., 2020. Dampak Pandemi Covid 19 Terhadap Bisnis Dan
Eksistensi Platform Online. Jurnal Pengembangan Wiraswasta, 22(01), pp.21-32.
Witczyńska, K., 2020. The Impact of the Electronic Commerce Market in the Supply Chain
during COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland. European Research Studies, 23(2), pp.648-658.
Online
Understanding the COVID-19 Effect on Online Shopping Behavior. 2021. [Online] Available
through: <https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/covid-19-ecommerce/>./
The Benefits of eCommerce: How Selling Online is Helping Businesses Survive COVID-19.
2020. [Online] Available through: <https://www.truecommerce.com/blog/ecommerce-
benefits-during-covid-19>./
The retail sector v Covid - 19: Post lockdown challenges. 2020. [Online] Available through:
<https://www.thebci.org/news/the-retail-sector-v-covid-19-post-lockdown-
challenges.html>./