An E – Commerce Strategy to Salvage Customer Changing Behavior in the Fashion Industry During Pandemics: A Case of the ICONIC Fashion Stores

Kasenge Martin – Lecturer at Uganda Martyrs University, Associate Dean, Faculty of Business Administration and Management.
Ssebaggala Cyprian – Lecturer at Uganda Martyrs University, Dean, Faculty of Business Administration and Management
Muheesi Alex – Lecturer at Uganda Martyrs University, Research and Internship Coordinator, Faculty of Business Administration and Management
Email: mkasenge@umu.ac.ug

Abstract: The study investigated how the invention of e – commerce shapes customer behavior towards purchasing decisions within the fashion industry before and after the pandemic. The study was guided by two objectives namely, to examine the effect of Business to Business (B2B) platforms and to assess the impact of Business to Customer (B2C) platforms on customer behavior at ICONIC Fashion Stores. Built on a cross-sectional design, the study utilized a sample of 384 participants and collected data using Google forms. Data was processed using SPSS software and analyzed using inferential statistics. Results indicate that ecommerce, together with its dimensions of B2B and B2C are weak and insignificant in predicting customer buying behavior. The researcher concludes that ecommerce through the platforms of B2B and B2C is weak and insignificant in explaining customer buying behavior and probably. Accordingly, ecommerce platforms can’t single handedly guarantee sustainable customer behavior unless they are accompanied by other factors such direct marketing, routine advertisement, sales promotion and favorable terms as well as branding among others. The researcher recommends that guarantee sustainable customer behavior, e-commerce platforms should be accompanied by other factors such as direct marketing, routine advertisement, sales promotion and favorable terms as well as branding among others. This is because ecommerce platforms adopted in the current study are weak and insignificant in explaining customer buying behavior and thus supporting such efforts with augmented customer stimulating yet centric in promoting sales would go a long way in informing customer buying behavior.