“The Impact of Covid-19 on consumer online purchase behavior in

Jordan: Food Supply Chain Industry”

Abstract:

The aim of this research paper is to study and examine the impact of Covid-19 on Jordanian Consumers’
online purchase behavior and decision making in terms of food ordering and food delivery. In the era of
the diffusion of e-commerce offered to the customer. This study focuses on the factors that effects
customers’ decisions and attitude toward purchasing online in Jordan.

-Challenges/ barriers.-structured questionnaire - results

Keywords: Covid-19. Online purchasing, Food ordering, Food Delivery, Online Payment , customer ,
Jordan

1.0 Introduction

The Purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Covid-19 on consumers’ online
purchase decision making and, or behavior in terms of food ordering and food delivery
specifically in Jordan. Will consumers' purchasing and consumption patterns be
permanently altered as a result of the global pandemic and newly formed social distancing
habit, or will they revert to their previous habits once the global crisis has passed? Are there
any new behaviors that customers have developed as a result of new restrictions? Do
customers believe that purchasing the traditional way is too inconvenient these days, and
that it is therefore preferable to have the food come to them?

Pandemics have struck the world on several stages in the past decade, including the
Spanish Flu from 1918 to 1919, the Asian Flu from 1957 to 1958, the Hong Kong Flu in
1968, the SARS-CoV-1 from 2002 to 2003, and the Swine Flu from 2009 to 2010. Human
history is full of examples on health disasters like the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in
the deaths of millions of people. COVID-19 is an illness produced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus
that can cause a respiratory tract infection, according to specialists. It can affect either your
upper or lower respiratory system (sinuses, nose, and throat) (windpipe and lungs). It
spreads in the same way that other viruses do, primarily through direct contact between
people (Sahin, O).

The coronavirus pandemic has caused and continues to cause huge damage to the global
economy in general and international trade in particular. Multiple factors have worsened the
uncertainty in which businesses and end users have found themselves. To name a few,
income reduction, cross-border transportation limitations, changing consumer demand, and
changing market actor behavior are all factors. Consumers have been encouraged to

1
purchase more on online markets as a result of the global lockdown, social distancing, and
other measures put in place to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic (Bozi, C, et al).

Since the first occurrence of coronavirus infection in Jordan on March 2nd, 2020, the
Jordanian government has taken extreme attempts to stop the virus from spreading further.
Jordan's borders were instantly shut down, and air transport was halted. On March 17th, the
Jordanian government implemented a defense act that imposed a complete lockdown on
the country, restricting transportation and closing all companies and enterprises. The
government of Jordan employed the Jordanian military to effectively impose the lockdown
allowing only food delivery services and a few export-oriented enterprises to operate. To
prevent cross-country contamination, people were not allowed to travel across governorates
(Raouf, M, et al). Of course, a few months after all of these measures were taken the
government gradually started to lift the harsh restrictions that were implemented as the
cases of coronavirus infected Jordanians started to decrease.

However, this obligatory change along with the unstable factors discussed above on
Jordanian lives have led them to change their purchase behaviors in order to adapt but at
the same time fulfill their needs and still feel content and safe about it.

1.2 Research Objectives

This research aims to examine the impact of Covid-19 on consumers’ online purchase
behavior in Jordan in terms of food ordering and food delivery…..(to be continued)

1.3 Research Questions

Q1: Do consumers in Jordan prefer food delivery over the traditional store walk-in
method?
Q2: Do Consumers in Jordan prefer online payment methods over cash payment?
Q3: Does the change in Jordanian consumers’ income level have a direct effect on their
online purchase behavior?
Q4: Are Jordanian Consumers willing to go back to their pre-pandemic online purchase
behaviors?

1.4 Research Hypothesis

Ho: Covid-19 has no impact on Jordanian consumers’ online food purchase behavior.
Ho1: Consumers in Jordan have no preference for online payment methods.
Ho2: The change in income levels has no impact on Jordanian consumers’ food
purchase behavior.

2
 1.5 Research Structure

This research paper conducted by a collaboration of the four students: Lana Twait,
Farah Tadros, Raghad Alabed, and Hiba X begins with an abstract of XX words in page
X that summarizes the entire paper. Followed by an introduction of XX words in page X
that discusses the essence of our research along with a few sub topics to clarify the
important area of our paper. The third part is the literature review of XX words starting at
page X that discusses past view of the main concept of this research…….(to be
continued)

2.0 Literature Review:

In reference to the year 2000, the number of e-commerce publications had nearly tripled by 2020. At
the same time, it has grown by 1.4 times in the last year. During the COVID-19 period, this trend
illustrates a growth in academic interest in e-commerce (Gu, Shengyu, et al).
2.1 Digital Transformation: Online payment: Online payment is an internet application method
being used rapidly in Jordan, and in developed countries, but due to
2.2 Consumer Behavior
Consumer Behavior is defined by Rai, A (2020) as the study of people, groups, or organizations
and the procedures they use to select, acquire, utilize, and dispose of products, services,
experiences, or ideas to fulfill their needs, as well as the implications these processes have on the
consumer and society. Despite the lack of a formal definition, consumer behavior is defined as
"the process of decision making and physical activity involved in purchasing, assessing, utilizing,
and disposing of products and services to meet needs and wants," according to Solomon (2006).
Consumer behavior is defined as "the process and behaviors of people engage in when looking
for selecting, acquiring, utilizing, assessing, and disposing of products and services as if satisfy
their need and preferences," according to (Belch & Belch, 2001). According to Wang (2015), the
flow of information about a particular change in the environment has a significant impact on
consumer behavior; on the other hand, Voinea and Filip (2011) noted that the frequency and
availability of goods/services can influence how a customer behaves; when a particular item is
scarce and not available, customers tend to hoard it to avoid the hassle of looking for it.
Customers tend to embrace a new behavior as soon as they find financial ways that are good for
them, according to Czarniewski (2014). Some elements, such as prices and payment methods, can
affect customers' behavior.

3
2.3 Safety of food chain practices during and before the pandemic

Hygiene aspect is the most core and essential part to be exist in any businesses. As the following
rules should be included hands should be washed after touching food bags and packages, after
arriving home, and before cooking food. Simultaneously, it raised concerns about the hazards and
feasibility of transmission through food or food packaging, particularly when information
channels transmitted inconsistent messages. then to the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat,
or eyes via the hands or the meal itself. (Prasetyo, 2021) In the age of the coronavirus (COVID-
19) pandemic, food safety is one of the four pillars of the food system that has been impacted
(Galanakis, 2020). Workers' medical conditions, personal hygiene, surface disinfection, keeping
working environments clean, food preparation and delivery, and lastly social separation are all
addressed. Although these precautions apply to all five stages of the food chain, they are
especially important at the end. This conclusion is based on the fact that as we progress through
the food supply chain, more people possible sources of illness get involved. Furthermore, it is
critical for the food industry to ensure that the food that reaches consumers' plates is safe and
does not pose a health concern at any stage of the process.

Moreover, there are precautionary measures such as, during food preparation that are largely
applicable at the consuming stage. For example, at the start of the crisis, many restaurants,
cafeterias, and health authorities in Central Europe stopped serving rare steaks and meats as a
general precautionary measure against viruses and pathogens (Euractiv, 2020), despite the lack of
scientific evidence supporting foodborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Nonetheless, these
operations were stopped because staff tested positive for COVID-19, not because the virus was
transmitted through raw meat, which is why the FDA did not expect food products to be recalled
(FDA, 2020c). Coronavirus can spread from an infected individual sneezing or coughing directly
on fresh food goods (e.g., vegetables, fruits, or bread) to food packaging. If the virus is conveyed
to the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, or eyes immediately afterward via the hands or
the meal itself, transmission appears to be conceivable (BfR, 2020). According to a study,
personal contact and shared meals during a conference in Singapore resulted in a cluster of
COVID-19 patients (Pung et al., 2020).

Would these safeguards suffice in the aftermath of the lockdown? To combat the spread of
COVID-19, rigorous laws governing people's movements have been implemented as of April 21,
2020. These limitations on people's independence and disturbances to food surroundings
highlight the importance of ensuring that everyone has access to appropriate food and good
health. On the other side, while grocers and supermarkets have become a sobering indicator of the
pandemic's scope, food shopping is one of the few activities that people associate with normal
living (UNSCN, 2020). Following the lockdown, food service businesses, as the final actor in the
food supply chain, will be under more pressure to prioritize the health of the sector's workers and
their outcomes (FAO, 2020). At the same time, they will have to deal with the fear of
transmission among consumers. During retailing, the safety and hygienic conditions of animal-
based food sources.

4
2.4: Food shopping and food delivery

3.0 Methodology

3.1 Methodology Overview

This section details the methods for gathering data for this research study, as well as the
reasoning for choosing the approaches utilized in the study and their relevance. It also
discusses the sample size, demographics of respondents, and the study's reliability and validity.
The study's population was XXX, and the sample size was XXX from XXX. All of XXX received
the structured questionnaire. The research investigation was carried out using the following
methods:

The first approach was to select a topic and area of interest, and the impact of Covid-19 on
consumer purchasing was chosen because it was a popular topic. The information research
string was set up in the second step. The study string "Covid-19 and its impact on Jordanian
customers' online purchase behaviors" was used to identify secondary content in databases
including Emerald, Google scholar, Google Books, and other sources.
One of the subjects of the literature review was the string mentioned above. The following
concepts were used: online purchasing behavior and/or decision-making, the switch to online
payment, and a conceptual framework. The questionnaire and technique were eventually
adjusted to better represent the study's topics. The empirical data was then utilized to evaluate
the original data gathered from the questionnaire.

Finally, a conclusion was reached based on the findings and recommendations. The sample
methodology utilized in this study is a nonprobability or random sample method, which provides
a fair representation of the study population because the questionnaire was distributed
randomly.

3.2 Methods for Data Collection

To collect the data used in the analysis of the research study, both primary and secondary data
were utilized. Given the nature of the research field, both primary and secondary data collection
methods are most appropriate. Primary data was gathered from respondents using surveys,
while secondary data was gathered from journals, publications, the internet, and other published
materials.

5
For the primary data, XXX received structured surveys via e-mail and social media sites such as
WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. Given that the purpose of this research is to examine the
impact of Covid-19 on Jordanian Consumers online purchase behavior in terms of the food
industry, a sample size of XXX was chosen since it is regarded acceptable and representative
for this study. The goal is to collect data from a representative sample of XXX Smartphone
users.
As for the Secondary data collected, the data includes articles, journals, and literatures retrieved
from the Internet's database, as well as books retrieved from Emerald, EBSCOhost, Google
Books, and Google Scholar. This research study would benefit from these items. Furthermore,
they would be critically interpreted with caution in order to prevent giving the wrong impression
about the originators' perspective or point of view.

3.3 Questionnaire Overview

The questionnaire was designed using the conceptual models as a framework. As a result, the
ideas were transformed into a questionnaire. Each question in the survey was based on the
research tool that was employed in the conceptual framework, which Covid-19 and its impact on
Jordanian consumers’ online purchase behaviors. As well as, the shift towards online payment
methods. In order to collect information that is relevant and related to the research study, the
questionnaire was designed to include all of the ideas used in this study. The questionnaire is
short, basic, and easy to understand, and it covers all of the important characteristics of the
models employed.
The purpose of the questionnaire is to convert the information needed into a series of particular
questions. Information about the main concepts explained above and throughout this research,
and perceived traits is translated into easy questions in this study to gain respondents'
perspectives on the aforesaid topic. The research study's principles are converted into short,
straightforward questions in order to acquire information from the responder about these topics.

References

1. Sahin, O. (2021). Measuring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Customers'

Changing Buying Behaviors. International Journal of Aquatic Science, 12(3), 669-677.
2. Bozzi, C., Neves, M., & Mont’Alvão, C. (2021, August). The “Pandemic Effect” on e-
Commerce. In International Conference on Human Interaction and Emerging
Technologies (pp. 532-540). Springer, Cham.
3. Raouf, M., Elsabbagh, D., & Wiebelt, M. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on the Jordanian
economy: Economic sectors, food systems, and households (Vol. 9). Intl Food Policy
Res Inst.

6
 4. Gu, S., Ślusarczyk, B., Hajizada, S., Kovalyova, I., & Sakhbieva, A. (2021). Impact of the
COVID-19 Pandemic on Online Consumer Purchasing Behavior. Journal of Theoretical
and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 16(6), 2263-2281.
5. Wang, H. (2015). Analysis on the Changes in Consumer Behavior and Marketing
Countermeasure. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 17, p. 01007). EDP Sciences.
https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20151701007
6. Voinea, L. & Filip, A. (2011). Analyzing the main changes in new consumer buying
behavior during economic crisis. International Journal of Economic Practices and
Theories, 1(1), 14-19.
7. Rai, A. (2020). Analyses of Consumer Behavior on Online Food Ordering-In reference to
COVID-19. Int. J. Res. Eng. Sci. Manag, 3(6), 665-673.
8. Solomon, M. R. (2006). Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective. London:
Prentice Hall.
9. Belch, G. E., & Belch, G. E. (2001). Advertising and Promotion: An integrated Marketing
Communications Perspective. Irwin/McGraw-Hill.

10. Rizou, Myrto, et al. “Safety of Foods, Food Supply Chain and Environment within the
COVID-19 Pandemic.” Trends in Food Science & Technology, vol. 102, 2020, pp. 293–
299., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.06.008.

11. Prasetyo, Yogi Tri, et al. “Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Online
Food Delivery Service during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Its Relation with Open
Innovation.” Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, vol. 7,
no. 1, 2021, p. 76., https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc7010076.

https://www.zu.edu.jo/MainFile/Profile_Dr_UploadFile/Researcher/Files/ResearchFile_3939_3_16.pdf