26 THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON ONLINE SHOPPING: AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH WITH KOSOVAR CONSUMERS Qendrim BYTYQI University of Prishtina ”Hasan Prishtina”, Faculty of Economics, qendrimbytyqi077@gmail.com Article history: Submission 22 August 2022 Revision 01 October 2022 Accepted 24 December 2022 Available online 31 December 2022 Keywords: Covid-19, Online Business, Impact, Development. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32936/pssj.v6i3.380 A b s t r a c t The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the growth of online businesses in Kosovo is a topic that is treated in this paper. Due to the fall in economic activity brought on by the economy's closure, the COVID-19 pandemic inevitably had a negative impact on the Kosovar economy, just like it has on other nations around the world. The requirement for enterprises to undergo a digital transformation has been considerably expedited by Covid-19, which has had a tremendous impact on businesses, society, and the economy in general. E-commerce is based on the idea of conducting business more effectively and quickly online. Giving clients access to the company's computer system allows them to modify the product and service to their specifications and ensure on-time delivery. These automated tailored services have a significant financial impact on enterprises by boosting earnings and lowering operating expenses. This paper seeks to shed light on the Covid-19 pandemic's effects on Kosovo's internet commerce growth. For this reason, a survey was conducted online, with 251 respondents selecting the appropriate sample using a non-random selection approach. The results show that Covid-19 appears to have had a favorable effect on the growth of online businesses in Kosovo. The Covid-19 pandemic has positively impacted the growth of online enterprises in Kosovo, and the 24/7 accessibility of the online business has positively impacted the increase in sales volume, according to the results of the hypothesis testing. The paper primarily describes how the Covid-19 epidemic affected the growth of online enterprises in Kosovo. 1. Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic unavoidably had a negative effect on the Kosovar economy, as it has on other countries throughout the world, because of the decline in economic activity brought on by the economy's closure. The obligation for enterprises to undergo a digital transformation has thus been drastically accelerated by Covid-19, which has also had a significant impact on businesses, society, and the economy as a whole. Covid-19, among other things, has developed a new narrative for how companies should behave while taking into account the changes that have an impact on companies across all industries. (Jashari, 2020). A sizable portion of Kosovo's population found themselves unexpectedly jobless as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and business closures. As a result, there are now much more people who are unemployed who live close to employment agencies. The Employment Agency and its 34 local offices alone recorded 32,377 young job searchers in April 2020. As a result, there are already 37,392 job seekers registered for the period of January to April 2020. (Instituti Gap, 2020). The ramifications and difficulties that this pandemic has brought today are those that the economy in general and business in particular will face tomorrow. (Hajrizi et al, 2020). Not just in Kosovo, but all around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the present and the future unclear and unpredictable. For economic sectors including cuisine, lodging, https://prizrenjournal.com/index.php/PSSJ/issue/view/11 mailto:qendrimbytyqi077@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.32936/pssj.v6i3.380 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7630-3882 27 travel, construction, etc., losses are estimated to be enormous. The sale of essential food and hygiene goods is the only industry that has been able to reduce losses to some extent. (Municipality of Gjilan, 2020). Nevertheless, despite the numerous bad impacts that this epidemic has on most nations around the world, it did send a strong message that businesses should prioritize going digital in order to encourage growth and combat crises like the pandemic. Covid-19. Regarding Covid-19's effects on the labor market in Kosovo, the AFP reports that in 2019 the country's unemployment rate was 25.7%, or 125,305 unemployed individuals in total. There were 368,180 employees, or about 30.1% of the total labor force, in terms of absolute numbers. (Bellaqa, 2020). It is intended to assess the impact of the pandemic on the growth of internet enterprises in Kosovo using the results obtained through this topic. By examining the research on Covid-19, a questionnaire was made, and a pilot study was conducted using practical sampling to determine the impact of Covid-19 on the growth of internet enterprises in Kosovo. 2. Literature Review The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, also known as COVID-19), a brand-new variety of coronavirus, was discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Then, COVID-19 spread swiftly throughout China and the rest of the world. This virus can produce a number of symptoms, such as fever, breathing problems, coughing, and invasive lung lesions in patients. Viral pneumonia can result from the virus spreading to the lower respiratory system. Patients infected with this virus can experience dyspnea and respiratory distress syndrome. (Zhu, et al 2020). The SARS-CoV-2 virus primarily spreads through close contact between individuals and by respiratory droplets released during coughing or sneezing. The number of human cases in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America significantly increased as a result of COVID-19's global dissemination. As of March 11, 2020, there were already more than 118,000 instances in 114 nations, and 4,291 individuals had died as a result of the rising worldwide risk. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified COVID-19 a global pandemic based on these indicators. (Zhou, et al 2020). Though there is a great deal of ambiguity over the scope of the virus and the efficacy of the political reaction, estimates suggest that COVID-19 might cost the globe more than $10 trillion. Over 10 million people worldwide fall into poverty for every percentage point the global economy shrinks. Poorer populations are more likely to have chronic illnesses, which increases their risk of dying from COVID-19. As a result of the pandemic's ongoing economic crisis, unemployment rates will increase significantly, and the prospect of health and social instability will grow as welfare safety nets deteriorate. (Ahmed, et al 2020). Numerous research on the global public health emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic have covered a wide range of fields, including medicine, arithmetic, and the social sciences. One of COVID-19's most crucial characteristics is spatial spread, which is heavily influenced by the epidemic process, human mobility, and control tactics. One technique that is frequently used to visualize the distribution of disease morbidity or mortality, to identify hotspots, clusters, and potential risk factors, and to reveal relationships between the spatio-temporal patterns of infectious diseases and the characteristics of the host or environment (Cao et al, 2020). Significant human misery and extensive death are being brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are being put to the test by a public health crisis that has never before occurred in recent memory. After 9/11 and the 2008 global financial crisis, this pandemic brings with it the third and biggest economic, financial, and social shock of the twenty-first century. (Vokshi , 2020). In fact, just 16 autopsy cases had been reported in the peer- reviewed literature by the end of April 2020, when 150,000 individuals had already passed away from COVID-19, with nine publications offering scant autopsies, postmortem core needle evaluations, or collections of tissues. Authorities prohibited doing autopsy since there were no accurate statistics on the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in those who had died. (Tzankov & Jonigk, 2020). Nearly all nations in the globe were compelled to use the most extreme measures (complete closure of their country) alone to preserve people's lives as a result of the corona virus's steadily rising case count and the tremendous rise in the number of deaths brought on by this invisible enemy. (Donthu & Gustafsson, 2020). The requirement to work remotely, avoid intimate contact with others, and in some cases stay at home with children has also led to tension and anxiety throughout the entire global population. In this line, some research has connected food choice with psychological variables, including anxiety, in addition to the study of emotional eating. Additionally, imprisonment severely restricts one's physical activity, which might exacerbate emotional instability because of the "alert situation"(Pérez, et al 2020). 28 3. Research Methodology The research approach was developed using both primary and secondary data. The impact of Covid-19 on the growth of online wallets in Kosovo has been adequately reviewed in the literature using secondary data. A questionnaire was created and given to a particular sample group based on these data. This survey was obtained from Matz (2021 and modified there. The data collected from the questionnaire constitute the primary data of the research. This data is collected specifically for the purpose of research. 3.1. Research Variables The questionnaire contains two different types of variables: demographic and Covid-19-related characteristics. Questions with a Likert scale are provided for variables relevant to the Covid-19. While the demographic variables include:  gender  age  family size  education  residence 3.2. Research Hypotheses The following defines the research hypotheses: H1: The pandemic has a positive impact on the growth of online sales in Kosovo H2: Online business positively affects the increase in sales volume thanks to 24/7 availability 3.3. Methods and Tools for Data Collection The questionnaire approach was used to get the data. Due to the many benefits that the Internet provides, research has recently started to spread more broadly online. The use of data collection methods by researchers has been made easier by advanced technology. The ability to gather data quickly and affordably, knowing that it is possible to reach people who are dispersed across large geographic areas, facilitating the researcher's job by turning the data into basic data, etc. are the major benefits of doing data collection online. The inability to reach the target population, which has strong online skills and connections, the inability to verify the identity of the person responsible and the veracity of the data, etc., are some general drawbacks of this strategy. Email lists and websites can be used to collect data for these kinds of surveys. (Hameli & Bytyqi, 2018). The survey was created on Survey.com and disseminated via social media, mostly Facebook. To a number of organizations and friends, it has been distributed. They were requested to take part in the study. 3.4. Sampling Method The research sample was chosen from a non-random sample, and the proper sample type was taken from this sample. "The objective of an adequate sample is to include people in the sample from whom data can be collected most easily. For instance, a surveyor on the street might ask those who approach him or conduct the study among those in his social circle." (Hameli & Bytyqi, 2018). Through the use of social media, we attempted to poll as many people as we could be using this sample. 251 questionnaires in total were gathered for examination. 3.5. Data Analysis The information that was taken from the questionnaire and used to analyze the results. In turn, the research's descriptive statistics, the participants' descriptive traits, and the descriptive data pertaining to Covid-19 are presented. The testing of the developed hypotheses is then provided. Table 1. Gender of research participants' respondents? Count Perc. Male 146 58,16 % Female 105 41,84 % Source: Author compilation The gender of the research participants is described using the descriptive data in Table 1. As can be seen, there are 251 responses in total, with men making up 58.16% of the research participants and women accounting for 41.84%. 29 Table 2. The research's participant respondents' age? Count Perc. 15 - 25 years old 109 43,42 % 26 - 35 years old 68 27,09 % 36 - 45 years old 43 17,13 % 46 - 55 years old 22 8,76 % 56 - 65 years old 8 3,18 % Up 65 years old 1 0,39 % Source: Author compilation The age ranges of the study's participants are shown in Table 2. The majority of participants in the study (43.42%) are in the 15– 25 age bracket, followed by 27.09% of participants in the 26–35, 17.13% of participants in the 36–45, 8.76% of participants in the 46–55, 3.18% of participants in the 56–65, and 0.39% of participants in the 65+ age bracket. Table 3. Size of families with respondents who took part in the research? Count Perc. Family 2-3 members 37 14,74 % Family 4-5 members 105 41,83 % Family with more than 6 members 109 43,42 % Total 251 100% Source: Author compilation Descriptive information regarding the size of the families of the research participants is included in Table 3. As can be seen, 43.42% of the research participants are respondents who are members of families with more than six members, 41.83% are respondents who are members of families with four to five members, and 14.74 are respondents who are members of families with two to three members. Table 4. Education level of the research participants' respondents? Count Perc. Primary school 15 5,97 % High school 43 17,13 % University 193 76,89 % Total 251 100% Source: Author compilation The statistics on the participants' educational backgrounds are shown in Table 4. The majority of them are well educated, with 76.89% of participants having graduated from college, 17.13% from high school, and 5.97% from elementary school. Table 5. Location of respondents' homes where they participated in the research? Count Perc. Urban 130 51,79 % Rural 121 48,2 % Total 251 100% Source: Author compilation The residences of the research participants are shown in Table 5. The data in the table shows that 51.79% of the participants reside in urban settlements, while 48.2% do so in rural settlements. Table 6. Preferred method of purchasing? Count Perc. a) Online 77 30,67 % b) Offline 119 47,41 % c) Hard to answer 55 21,91 % Total 251 100% Source: Author compilation It turns out that, when asked what their preferred method of shopping is, research participants prefer shopping offline 47.41% of the time, online shopping is preferred by 30.67%, and 21.97% of respondents said they find it difficult to choose between these two methods of shopping. 30 Table 7. How frequently you made online purchases in the month before to the pandemic's ones? Count Perc. a) every day 12 4,78 % b) two/three times a week 20 7,96 % c) once a week 45 17,92 % d) once a month 134 53,38 % e) I don't buy online 40 15,93 % Total 251 100% Source: Author compilation In response to the question of how frequently they conducted their online shopping in the month prior to the pandemic, 53.38% of participants said they did so at least once per month, 17.92% said they did so once per week, 15.93% said they did not, 7.96% said they did so twice or three times per week, and 4.78% said they did so daily. Table 8. How frequently did you shop online before the pandemic for various product categories? 1 -First choice 2-Second choice 3-third choice 4-fourth choice 5-fifth choice 6-sixth choice 7- seventh choice a) food items 142 100% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% b) fashion 0 0% 47 33% 22 15% 20 14% 20 14% 18 12% 15 10% c) presents 0 0% 13 9% 43 30% 33 23% 30 21% 14 9% 9 6% d) accessories 0 0% 5 3% 19 13% 52 36% 27 19% 28 19% 11 7% e) household supplies 0 0% 34 23% 21 14% 17 11% 40 28% 18 12% 12 8% f) skin products 0 0% 17 11% 23 16% 10 7% 16 11% 55 38% 21 14% g) fitness/wellness products 0 0% 26 18% 14 9% 10 7% 9 6% 9 6% 74 52% Source: Author compilation Prior to the pandemic, Table 8 explains the significance of choices for internet shopping. Participants ranked these alternatives from 1 (First Choice) to 7 (Seventh Choice) in order of significance. 100% of participants believe that the first option to purchase food supplies before the pandemic is to do so. The alternative two Fashion is ranked second in importance to purchase by 33% of participants, third by 15%, fourth by 14%, fifth by 14%, sixth by 12%, and seventh by 10%. The third gift option is the third choice for 30% of the participants, the fourth choice for 23% of the participants, the fifth choice for 21% of the participants, the sixth choice for 9% of the participants, and the seventh choice for 6% of the participants. In terms of relevance to purchase, the fourth accessory option is ranked by 36% of participants as their fourth preference, followed by 19% as their fifth preference, 19% as their sixth preference, and 13% as their third preference. While 3% of participants choose it as the second option, 7% of people rank it as the seventh. The fifth option, home supplies, is ranked fifth in terms of importance to purchase by 28% of participants, second by 23%, third by 14%, sixth by 12%, fourth by 11%, and seventh by 8%. The choice of six skin products, ranked in order of purchasing importance, It is the sixth choice for 38% of the participants, the third choice for 16% of the participants, the seventh choice for 31 14% of the participants, the second choice for 11% of the participants, the fifth choice for 11% of the participants, and the fourth choice for 7% of the participants. As the seventh most crucial fitness/wellness product to purchase, 52% of respondents rank it as their seventh option, while 18% rank it as their second choice, 9% rank it as their third choice, 7% rank it as their fourth choice, 6% rank it as their fifth choice, and 6% rank it as their sixth choice. Table 9. How frequently you used the internet to shop within a month of the pandemic's onset? Count Perc. a) every day 5 3,52 % b) two/three times a week 48 33,8 % c) once a week 52 36,61 % d) once a month 22 15,49 % e) I don't buy online 15 10,56 % Source: Author compilation In response to the question of how frequently they conducted online shopping in the month following the pandemic, 36.61% of participants indicated that they did so once per week, 33.8% indicated that they did so twice or three times per week, 15.49% indicated that they did so once per month, 10.56% indicated that they did not conduct online shopping, and 3.52% indicated that they did so daily. Table 10. How likely you were to shop online for different product categories after the pandemic? 1-First choice 2-Second choice 3-third choice 4-fourth choice 5-fifth choice 6-sixth choice 7-seventh choice a) food items 117 82% 5 3% 5 3% 1 0% 4 2% 2 1% 8 5% b) fashion 7 4% 38 26% 7 4% 13 9% 23 16% 24 16% 30 21% c) presents 3 2% 7 4% 36 25% 16 11% 36 25% 34 23% 10 7% d) accessories 5 3% 4 2% 15 10% 57 40% 27 19% 22 15% 12 8% e) household supplies 3 2% 45 31% 28 19% 24 16% 30 21% 8 5% 4 2% f) skin products 3 2% 18 12% 38 26% 13 9% 11 7% 41 28% 18 12% g) fitness/wellness products 4 2% 25 17% 13 9% 18 12% 11 7% 11 7% 60 42% Source: Author compilation The significance of options when it comes to online shopping following the epidemic is outlined in Table 10. Participants ranked these alternatives from 1 (First Choice) to 7 (Seventh Choice) in order of significance. The first option to purchase food items after the pandemic is viewed as the first option by 82% of the participants, the seventh option by 5% of the participants, the second option by 3% of the participants, the third option by 3% of the participants, the fifth 32 option by 2% of the participants, and the sixth option by 1% of the participants. The alternative two in terms of importance to purchase, fashion is ranked as the second choice by 26% of the participants, the fifth choice by 16% of the participants, the sixth choice by 16% of the participants, the fourth choice by 9% of the participants, the first choice by 4% of the participants, and the third choice by 4% of the participants. In terms of how important it is to purchase, the third alternative, gifts, it is the third choice for 25% of participants, the fifth choice for 25% of participants, the sixth choice for 23% of participants, the fourth choice for 11% of participants, the seventh choice for 7% of participants, the second choice for 4% of participants, and the first choice for 2% of participants. In terms of how important it is to purchase, the fourth accessory option, it is the fourth choice for 40% of the participants, the fifth choice for 19% of the participants, the sixth choice for 15% of the participants, the third choice for 10% of the participants, the seventh choice for 8% of the participants, the first choice for 3% of the participants, and the second choice for 2% of the participants. The fifth option, household supplies, is ranked fifth in terms of importance to buy by 31% of participants, followed by 21% of participants who rank it fifth, 19% of participants who rank it third, 16% of participants who rank it fourth, 5% of participants who rank it sixth, 2% of participants who rank it first, and 2% of participants who rank it seventh. The choice of six skin products, ranked in order of purchasing importance, it is the sixth choice for 28% of the participants, the third choice for 26% of the participants, the second choice for 12% of the participants, the seventh choice for 12% of the participants, the fourth choice for 9% of the participants, the fifth choice for 7% of the participants, and the first choice for 2% of the participants. The seventh most crucial fitness/wellness product to purchase 42% of participants rank it as the seventh option, 17% of participants rank it as the second option, 12% of participants rank it as the fourth option, 9% of participants rank it as the fourth choice, 7% of participants rank it as the fifth option, 7% of participants rank it as the sixth option, and 2% of participants rank it as the first option. Table 11. The most important factors in determining where to shop? 1-First choice 2-Second choice 3-third choice 4-fourth choice 5-fifth choice a) Time of receiving/acceptance of the product 31 21% 13 9% 14 9% 30 21% 54 38% b) Product price 24 16% 66 46% 39 27% 9 6% 4 2% c) Trust in the seller 4 2% 42 29% 73 51% 19 13% 4 2% d) Product quality 73 51% 15 10% 14 9% 36 25% 4 2% e) Concern about suspicious/fraudulent behavior 10 7% 6 4% 2 1% 48 33% 76 53% Source: Author compilation The most important characteristics that affected where to shop are listed in Table 11. Participants scored these alternatives from 1 (First Choice) to 5 (Fifth Choice) in terms of priority. Regarding the first factor, the time it takes to receive or accept the product, as influencing factors to choose where to buy, 38% of the participants see it as the fifth choice, 21% of the participants see it as the fourth choice, 21% of the participants see it as their first choice, 9% of the participants see it as their second choice, and 9% of participants see it as their third choice. Concerning the second factor product price is viewed by 46% of participants as the second most important factor in determining where to make a purchase, 27% of participants as the third most important factor, 16% of participants as the first factor, 6% of 33 participants as the fourth most important factor, and 2% of participants as the fifth most important factor. Regarding the third aspect, trust in the seller, as influencing factors to choose where to buy, 51% of the participants see it as the third choice, 29% see it as the second choice, 13% see it as the fourth choice, 2% see it as the fifth choice, and 2% see it as the first choice. Regarding the fourth aspect, product quality, 51% of the participants rank it as their first option, 25% rank it as their fourth choice, 10% rank it as their second choice, 9% rank it as their third choice, and 2% rank it as their fifth choice when deciding where to make their purchase. Concern for suspicious or fraudulent behavior is regarded by 53% of participants as the fifth most important factor, 33% as the fourth most important factor, 7% as the first most important factor, 4% as the second most important factor, and 1% as the third most important factor in choosing where to shop. Table 12. Online shopping habits? Strongly disagree Disagree neutral Agree Strongly Agree I buy online because it's easier to see discounts and prices 24 16% 17 11% 13 9% 56 39% 32 22% I buy online because I have a greater variety of products 9 6% 28 19% 11 7% 62 43% 32 22% I buy online because it's a good opportunity to buy things when you're short on time 14 9% 15 10% 23 16% 47 33% 43 30% I buy online because it can save me the trouble of buying what I want in offline retail stores 9 6% 23 16% 22 15% 58 40% 30 21% I buy online because I can gather more information 17 11% 36 25% 20 14% 37 26% 32 22% I buy online because I appreciate the convenience of 24/7 availability 9 6% 17 11% 23 16% 55 38% 38 26% I buy online because I can shop in the privacy of my home 11 7% 10 7% 22 15% 47 33% 52 36% I buy online because the quality of decision-making has improved 8 5% 18 12% 33 23% 35 24% 48 33% Source: Author compilation The assertions about internet buying behaviors are displayed in Table 12 according to a Likert scale. Highly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree are some of the options that participants have selected. Regarding the first statement, "I buy online because it's easier to see discounts and prices," the percentage of participants who agreed or disagreed was as follows: 39% said they agreed, 22% said they completely agreed, 16% said they didn't agree completely, 11% said they disagreed, and 9% said they were neutral. Regarding the second statement, "I shop online because there is a wider selection of goods," participants were divided into four groups according to their levels of agreement or disagreement: 43% said they agreed, 22% said they completely agreed, 19% said they disagreed, 7% said they were neutral, and 6% said they completely disagreed. 34 Regarding the third statement, "I buy things online because it's a good opportunity to buy things when you're short on time," the percentage of participants who agreed or disagreed was as follows: 33% said they agreed, 30% said they completely agreed, 16% said they were neutral, 10% said they do not agree, and 9% said they completely disagreed. Regarding the fourth statement, "I buy online because it can save me the trouble of buying what I want in offline retail stores," the percentage of participants who agreed or disagreed was as follows: 40% said they agreed, 21% said they fully agreed, 16% said they disagreed, 15% said they were neutral, and 6% said they completely disagreed. Regarding the fifth statement, "I shop online because it allows me to gather more information," the percentage of participants who agreed or disagreed with it was as follows: 26% said they agreed, 25% said they disagreed, 22% said they fully agreed, 14% said they were neutral, and 11% said they completely disagreed. The degree of agreement or disagreement with the sixth statement, "I buy online because I value the convenience provided by the 24/7 availability," was as follows: 38% of participants agreed, 26% of participants agreed completely, 16% of participants remained neutral, 11% of participants disagreed, and 6% of participants completely disagreed. Regarding the seventh statement, "I buy online because I can do it privately at home," 36% of participants said they fully agreed, 33% said they agreed, 15% said they were neutral, 7% said they disagreed, and 7% said they completely disagreed. These results indicate how much agreement or disagreement participants had with each statement. Regarding the eighth and final statement, "I buy online because the quality of decision-making has improved," 33% of participants said they fully agreed, 24% said they agreed, 23% said they were neutral, 12% said they disagreed, and 5% said they completely disagreed. The degree of agreement or disagreement was as follows: 24% said they agreed, 23% said they were neutral. Table 13. Preferred tool/device to shop online? Strongly disagree Disagree neutral Agree Strongly agree When I buy online I do it through my smartphone 21 14% 13 9% 16 11% 68 47% 24 16% When I buy online I do it through my tablet 15 10% 40 28% 31 21% 35 24% 21 14% When I buy online, I do it through the computer 8 5% 8 5% 30 21% 28 19% 68 47% Source: Author compilation Table 13 examines the statements measured with the Likert scale regarding the preferred tool/device to shop online. Participants have chosen several types of options; strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree. Regarding the initial assertion made when I shop online I carry out this activity using my smartphone. According to the participants' levels of agreement or disagreement, 47% of them said they agree, 16% said they totally agree, 14% said they disagree completely, 11% said they were neutral, and 9% said they disagree. Regarding the second statement, "When I make an online purchase, I use my tablet to complete the transaction," the percentage of participants who agreed or disagreed with it was as follows: 28% said they disagreed, 24% said they agreed, 21% said they were neutral, 14% said they completely agreed, and 10% said they completely disagreed. Concerning the third assertion, when I shop online I use a computer to complete it, and the percentage of participants who expressed their level of agreement or disagreement was as follows: 47% said they totally agreed, 21% said they were neutral, 19% said they agreed, 5% said they disagreed, and 5% said they completely disagreed. 35 Table 14. Online purchases during Covid-19? Strongly disagree Disagree neutral agree Strongly agree I'm buying online more often than before 17 11% 11 7% 22 15% 22 15% 70 49% I am interested to buy in store 7 4% 16 11% 31 21% 67 47% 21 14% I only go to the shops when I buy necessary products like food and drinks 60 42% 20 14% 23 16% 28 19% 11 7% I have decided to postpone the big expenses after the pandemic 43 30% 40 28% 30 21% 21 14% 8 5% I am worried about my physical health 12 8% 17 11% 42 29% 39 27% 32 22% Source: Author compilation Table 14 shows the statements related to Covid-19 which were measured with the Likert scale. Participants have chosen several types of options; strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree. The participants' levels of agreement or disagreement with the first statement, "I am buying things online more frequently than before," were as follows: 49% of the participants said they completely agreed, 15% said they agreed, 15% remained neutral, 11% said they completely disagreed, and 7% said they disagreed. The participants' levels of agreement or disagreement with the second statement, "I am interested in shopping in stores," were as follows: 47% of the participants said they agreed, 21% said they were neutral, 14% said they completely agreed, 11% said they disagreed, and 4% said they completely disagreed. Regarding the third statement, "I only visit stores when I need to purchase necessities like food and beverages," the participants' levels of agreement or disagreement were as follows: 42% said they do not fully agree, 19% said they agree, 16% said they were neutral, 14% said they disagree, and 7% said they completely agree. Regarding the fourth statement, "I decided to postpone the big expenses after the pandemic," participants' levels of agreement or disagreement were as follows: 30% said they don't completely agree, 28% said they disagree, 21% said they were neutral, 14% said they agree, and 5% said they completely agree. The fifth and final statement, "I am concerned about my physical health," received the following levels of agreement or disagreement: 29% of participants expressed neutrality, 27% of participants expressed agreement, 22% of participants expressed full agreement, 11% of participants expressed disagreement, and 8% of participants expressed complete disagreement. 3.5.1. Discussion of hypotheses The following are this paper's main hypotheses: H1: The pandemic has a positive impact on the growth of online sales in Kosovo H2: Online business positively affects the increase in sales volume thanks to 24/7 availability The two hypotheses are discussed below, and an analysis will be done to see how they compare to the paper in question while taking into account the data that was retrieved from the questionnaire. H1: The pandemic has a positive impact on the growth of online sales in Kosovo The information gleaned from the questionnaire suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to the expansion of the trend of online sales in Kosovo. This notion is supported by the fact that 49% of study participants said they shop online more frequently than they did previously. Along with the rise in the number of customers who are making more online purchases following the 36 pandemic, Kosovo's electronic commerce has also seen growth in terms of the volume of online sales, which has helped the country's trend toward sales digitization advance at an ever- increasing rate. H2: Online business positively affects the increase in sales volume thanks to 24/7 availability There are numerous advantages to conducting business online. Online shoppers gain access to a number of advantages, including time savings, the ability to finish transactions more quickly, and the ability to conduct their business anonymously from home. According to the data taken from the questionnaire, 26% of the research participants completely agree that they make more purchases online because they value the convenience provided by online retailers' 24/7 availability, while 38% of the participants appear to agree with this statement. This idea is also confirmed when these indicators are taken into account. 4. Conclusions The goal of this paper is to evaluate the effects of the Covid-19 epidemic on the major Kosovar economic sectors. Through the analysis of numerical data, we hope to provide a clearer picture of how this pandemic has affected our nation's online enterprises. To accomplish this, 251 people participated in an online survey that was carried out using Survey.com. 146 males and 105 women participated in the study. The majority of participants are between the ages of 15 and 25. These individuals make up 43.42% of the family units with more than six members. These people have high levels of education because the majority of them attend universities. These individuals dwell in urban regions to the tune of 51.79%. This study demonstrates how the Covid-19 pandemic has positively impacted the growth of online businesses in Kosovo using data from the literature and information related to the pandemic. The hypotheses were discussed after the descriptive statistical data. The first hypothesis looked at whether the epidemic had a beneficial effect on Kosovo's burgeoning online commerce. The first hypothesis was confirmed by the data that were taken from the questionnaire. The second hypothesis examines whether the 24/7 accessibility of online businesses has a favorable impact on the growth in sales volume. The data from the extracted data indicated that this hypothesis was also accepted because 38% of the participants concur that they make more frequent purchases online because they value the convenience that 24/7 accessibility provides. 4.1. Limitations of the Research Like all studies, this one has some restrictions. First, the research was conducted primarily online and on a narrow sample due to time and financial constraints. Since the majority of the research sample is composed of young people, it is impossible to draw broad conclusions about the country or the region. The sample is affected by the sample's internet usage patterns, which are dominated by young individuals. However, the study offers a clear overview of how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the growth of online businesses in Kosovo and offers valuable information for further study. 4.2. Recommendations This study makes several crucial suggestions: • The government should prioritize de-bureaucratizing and digitizing the administration. Additionally, enterprises should receive funding to digitize their business processes and expand their e-commerce operations. • Since conducting business online is a very practical approach to increase earnings, Kosovar companies should concentrate more on doing so. Kosovar companies, on the other hand, appear to understand the value of digitization, but they lag behind in developing and putting into practice real digitalization strategies and action plans. 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