Online shopping during the pandemic: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Polish consumers' shopping behaviour in the social and spatial dimensions

One of the areas where the COVID-19 pandemic had an exceptionally widespread and significant impact is shopping behaviour, among which the increase in the popularity of online shopping is clearly visible. However, we still do not know how persistent are the changes in the behaviour of Polish consumers in terms of the substitution of purchases in brick-and-mortar stores with purchases in online stores, what socio-demographic factors influence these transformations and what their spatial differentiation is. The aim of the project is to determine the specificity of changes in the purchasing behaviour of Polish consumers caused by the pandemic in the field of purchasing substitution. In particular, the project will aim to determine the scale and durability as well as the reasons for this phenomenon: (a) in various product categories (food, durable goods of various types), (b) in various socio-demographic groups, (c) in various areas (cities of various sizes / rural areas, availability of stationery stores, availability of various forms of delivery). As a result, it will be possible to determine the combination of factors that have the greatest impact on the scale and durability of the phenomenon under study. The empirical material will be collected through a telephone survey conducted on a representative sample of consumers.