The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Companies' Marketing Communication with an Emphasis on e-commerce

Kritična situacija gura ljudsko ponašanje u različitim smjerovima. Pandemija bolesti COVID-19 dovela je do ekonomskih nestabilnosti koje su slutile na promjenu tržišne dinamike. Sve više pažnje se posvećuje ponašanju potrošača i faktorima koji utječu na potrošača pri donošenju odluke o kupnji. Rad istražuje utjecaj pandemije bolesti Covid-19 na marketinšku komunikaciju poduzeća s naglaskom na E-trgovinu. Kroz rad su definirani pojam, vrste i uloga marketinške komunikacije, te isto tako i pojam, vrste, prednosti i nedostaci E-trgovine. Iznesen je i utjecaj pandemije na svjetsku trgovinu te na ponašanje potrošača. U drugom dijelu rada izneseni su podatci provedenog istraživanja na uzorku od 70 poduzeća s E-trgovinom. Dobiveni rezultati su očekivani te su potvrdili istinitost činjenica i podataka iznesenih u teorijskom dijelu rada. Iako je uzorak relativno mali (70 poduzeća) ovo je do sada najveće istraživanje provedeno na ovu temu u Republici Hrvatskoj.A critical situation pushes human behavior into different directions. The pandemic of the disease COVID-19 led to economic instability that foreshadowed a change in market dynamics. More attention is being paid to consumer behavior, as well as factors that influence the consumer himself when making the final purchase decision. The thesis investigates the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the marketing communication of companies with an emphasis on E-commerce. The paper defines the concept, types and role of marketing communication, as well as the concept, types, advantages and disadvantages of E-commerce. The impact of the pandemic on world trade and consumer behavior was also presented. In the second part of the thesis, the data of the research conducted on a sample of 70 companies with E-commerce is presented. The obtained results were expected and confirmed the statements and data presented in the theoretical part of the paper. Although the sample is relatively small (70 companies), this is so far the largest research conducted on this topic in the Republic of Croatia