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Thomas Williams
Great topic. I think that the thesis and the connection to STS needs to be worked on. Citations could be stronger and they need to be linked in the chapter. Add links to keywords? Sections need to be labeled with topics. Your images need to be labeled and add alt text. Over all, the chapter could be more explicit and provide more examples.
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people to make many changes in their lives. One of these changes is a significant increase in shopping online instead of in physical stores. The pandemic has caused increased use of online shopping as an alternative to physical stores that will remain after the pandemic ends.
Connection to STS Theory
The shift from physical shopping to online shopping is related to the Theory of Path Dependence, which states that current decisions made by people are based on decisions made in the past due to a resistance to change. After the pandemic had taken off, customers stuck with shopping online because of past experiences with shopping during the pandemic. Since the ratio of online shoppers to in-store shoppers decreased during the pandemic, many people decided to continue the convenience of shopping online as opposed to changing their routine to travel to the store.
Online Shopping Is on the Rise
More people are shopping online after the pandemic than before. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (abbreviated UNCTAD), the number of purchases made online has risen by 6% – 10% since the beginning of the pandemic (UNCTAD, 2020). This increase in online purchases shows that the pandemic has caused people to shop online more.
Why?
People do not feel comfortable or safe when they are shopping in person. Why are people shopping online more? People do not feel comfortable or safe when they are shopping in person. In decades prior, people would have had to take that risk, but in 2020, we have an alternative. According to a Morning Consult study, which was shared by Forbes, 24% of consumers said that they would be uncomfortable shopping for 6 months after March (Meyers, 2020) (Columbus, 2020). People are not comfortable shopping in person, so they are now shopping online.
Will This Go Back to Normal?
This change in behavior is likely here to stay.
Is this a permanent change? This change in behavior is likely here to stay. According to CNN Business, consumers are embracing these new changes with no sign of reverting to pre-Covid numbers (Riley, 2020). This is consistent with the path-dependence theory, which states that humans will make choices based on previous choices. Behaviors do not change unless they have to.
Conclusion
People have begun shopping online as an alternative to in person shopping during the pandemic. They did this to feel safe. Even after the pandemic is over, people are likely to continue this behavior, as there will not be anything that forces them to change it. Online shopping is now more prevalent than ever and is here to stay.
References
UNCTAD. COVID-19 has changed online shopping forever, survey shows. (2020, October 08). Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://unctad.org/news/covid-19-has-changed-online-shopping-forever-survey-shows
Columbus, L. (2020, April 28). How COVID-19 Is Transforming E-Commerce. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2020/04/28/how-covid-19-is-transforming-e-commerce/
Meyers, A. (2020, April 10). When Consumers Say They’ll Feel OK About Dining Out and Other Activities. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://morningconsult.com/2020/04/10/consumer-expectations-normal-activities-comfortable/
Riley, C. (2020, October 13). Online shopping has been turbocharged by the pandemic. There’s no going back. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/11/investing/stocks-week-ahead/index.html
Path Dependence. (n.d.). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/path-dependence
Images
“Shopping trolley with medical mask.” by focusonmore.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0