This study aims to verify possible changes in the relationship between socioeconomic factors and Internet use, and the e-Commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. It was used secondary data from the ICT Household survey conducted in Brazil in 2019 and 2021. Two logistic regression models were developed – one for each year. The literature shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed people's lives and their consumption habits. The study sought to know if there would be a change in these effects depending on sociodemographic factors and Internet use. It was observed an increased use of e-Commerce between 2019 and 2021 among people with lower education levels, also among those who live in Brazil’s northeast region, and among social media users. People without a formal job began to consume more through e-Commerce. However, the older population reduced their use of e-Commerce during the period. The research evaluated changes in the relationship between several factors and the use of e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. It also contributes by jointly analyzing several factors found in the literature that influence the use of e-commerce, through a representative base of the Brazilian population. The study revealed changes experienced by society due to the pandemic and highlighted the need for changes in new ways of serving consumers. It is worth emphasizing that the sample used is representative of the population, therefore these results can be extrapolated when used to inform broader and more precise decision-making processes.
Santos et al. (Thu,) studied this question.