Impacts on E-Commerce Revenue Before and During an Exogenous Shock: Site Entry Channels, Visitor Status, and Transaction Value

A 71-week Google Analytics panel of 24 online retailers is analyzed to explore how site entry channels, visitor status, transaction value, and lagged channel patterns relate to revenue before and during a disruptive exogenous shock (COVID-19 lockdown). Findings include that direct access and repeat visitors are consistently associated with revenue. Paid search becomes a stronger revenue pathway during disruption, whereas baseline revenue (before lockdown) is concentrated at higher ticket levels. Facebook ads are associated with first-time visitor volume but show limited immediate revenue impact. Lagged models show paid search is consistently associated with later organic search and direct access.