Adapting to Change: How COVID-19 Shaped Online Consumer Behavior A comparative study between the United Kingdom and Sweden aimed at analysing consumption variations in online shopping and online gambling.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online shopping and online gambling, as well as the differences between Sweden and the United Kingdom. Both social isolation and online consumption habits have been significantly impacted by the pandemic. Examining how online functions changed in usage during this period can shed light on the pandemic's effects for individuals. We hypothesize that both online gambling and online shopping increased in Sweden and United Kingdom during the pandemic because of the increased perceived relative price and cost for its physical options, where the relative increase is expected to be larger for the last-mentioned country. The data collected in April of 2021 is used to examine demographic and psychological characteristics to refine the results and gain a deeper understanding of the differences between online shopping and online gambling consumption among individuals. Several different methods are used to analyse the data, such as OLS regressions and histograms. Results aligns with our hypothesises and indicates an increase in online shopping and online gambling for both Sweden and the United Kingdom, with the United Kingdom experiencing a larger increase than Sweden. It can be beneficial to gain insights into consumer behaviour for potential future pandemics or other situations where social isolation occurs. Future research could investigate how restrictive policies and supportive programmes can be designed to be even more effective for all individuals ahead.