The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Online Grocery Supply Chain Management: A Case Study in Istanbul

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has already crippled normal life all over the world. Its negative effect not only changed the human health system tragically but also disrupted the global economic system. One result of such negative disruption was on the food supply chain. The strict lockdown has suspended the manufacturing and logistic activities and therefore, the consumers experienced unimaginable chose on the grocery markets which has never faced before. Along with this mess, the shopping behavior of the consumers has remarkably changed compared to pre-pandemic. To meet this new demand pattern, many large convenience stores and small retailers tried to adapt to the new normal. While a standard way to manage the grocery supply chain before the pandemic was the offline system, after the pandemic, the online service got tremendous attention from the consumers. In this study, the online grocery supply chain management during the Covid-19 in Istanbul is considered. The purpose is to find out how more efficient online services can be provided during the pandemic. To do so, first, some questions related to online grocery shopping were asked and three major grocery retailers in Istanbul which have provided online services were taken. Then, a survey was conducted to understand the consumer’s experience with respect to online shopping at these stores. Following that, the performances of the companies and their SWOT analyses were discussed. Finally, some strategic recommendations were given to the companies to manage their online services throughout the pandemic and post-pandemic.