THE WAY THE CORONAVIRUS SHIFTED CUSTOMER PREFERENCES OF GROCERY SHOPPING

The world has suddenly started to change and adapt due to the coronavirus pandemic that appeared almost two years ago. In the world, and in Croatia as well, online shopping has become increasingly popular, due to the fact that almost all physical stores, restaurants, cafes, etc. except for shops with food and hygiene products were closed for a while due to population protection measures. Given all the bans that were in place, retailers and customers began to develop significant changes, both in business and in purchasing preferences. Retailers, if not earlier, had to invest in multi-channelling in order to survive in the market while customers were exposed to new forms of shopping in the form of online shopping. This paper presents the results of research on the influence of coronavirus on the shift of consumers’ preferences from physical to online mode of conducting shopping and grocery retailin