Title: Positive externalities of COVID-19 for online businesses: a case of Bangladesh

Authors: Md. Khaled Saifullah; Nabila Maruf; Maisha Basharat Chowdury

Addresses: Department of Economics, School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Independent University, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh ' Department of Economics, School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Independent University, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh ' Department of Economics, School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Independent University, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic not only created a global health crisis but also inflicted a major shock on the global economy. During the pandemic, government restrictions and changing consumer behaviours have forced businesses to go online. As for the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the COVID-19 pandemic has provided opportunities to develop online businesses which provide them with greater scope to increase their consumer and revenue. Therefore, the study analyses the opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic for online businesses in Bangladesh which helped online businesses to continue growing in the post-COVID-19 era. This study adopted a quantitative approach based on survey data obtained from 233 businesses in Bangladesh. To analyse the obtained data, the partial least squares (PLS) method was used. The study found that COVID-19 positively influenced businesses to focus more on online platforms and expand their business online. Moreover, COVID-19 also helped online businesses to focus on the challenges businesses have faced. The study suggests that the authorities should ensure cybersecurity for online businesses which will help the businesses gain consumer satisfaction and service quality.

Keywords: e-commerce; electronic commerce; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; cybersecurity; COVID-19; Bangladesh.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEB.2025.149136

International Journal of Electronic Business, 2025 Vol.20 No.4, pp.432 - 453

Received: 20 May 2024
Accepted: 02 Sep 2024
Published online: 15 Oct 2025 *

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