E-loyalty in electronic commerce: A field research on social media users before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

In today's globalizing world, the classical understanding of trade is moving its activities to the online platform and is now a part of our lives with the concept of e-commerce. The concept of loyalty, which is an indispensable element of the trade world, has gained a new dimension and is now appearing as e-commerce. With these developments, consumers' shopping options are increasing and businesses are facing a more intense competitive environment. Thus, in order for businesses to survive for a longer period of time, it is of great importance for them to ensure customer satisfaction and maintain their loyal customer base. At this point, social media networks establish a vital communication bridge between brands and consumers, allowing companies to reach consumers at lower costs, regardless of place and time. In 2020, there was a major change in the concept of electronic commerce with the covid-19 outbreak that affected the whole world. Within the scope of this entire process, significant changes have occurred in individuals' attitudes towards shopping. This study aims to investigate the concept of e-loyalty that emerged with e-commerce before and after Covid-19, and to conduct an examination on social media users in this context. The main body of the study consists of Facebook and Instagram users. The data of the study was obtained through an online survey conducted on social networks. According to the findings of the study, it is seen that there has been a positive increase in the e-loyalty level of users after Covid-19.