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E-commerce During Covid: Stylized Facts from 47 Economies
Author: Alberto Cavallo, Ms. Prachi Mishra, and Mr. Antonio Spilimbergo
Series:
IMF Working Papers
Volume/Issue:
Volume 2022: Issue 019
Language:
English
Publication Date:
28 Jan 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781616359218.001
ISBN:
9781616359218
ISSN:
1018-5941
Pages:
19
Keywords:
COVID-19; Technological Change; consumption; digitalization; e-commerce; IMF working paper research Department; e-commerce share; COVID trend; data from Mastercard; spending share; COVID-19; Consumer credit; Consumption; Tourism; Global
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IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.
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We study e-commerce across 47 economies and 26 industries during the COVID-19 pandemic using aggregated and anonymized transaction-level data from Mastercard, scaled to represent total consumer spending. The share of online transactions in total consumption increased more in economies with higher pre-pandemic e-commerce shares, exacerbating the digital divide across economies. Overall, the latest data suggest that these spikes in online spending shares are dissipating at the aggregate level, though there is variation across industries. In particular, the share of online spending in professional services and recreation has fallen below its pre-pandemic trend, but we observe a longer-lasting shift to digital in retail and restaurants.
Cover IMF Working Papers
IMF Working Papers
ISSN:
1018-5941
Publisher:
International Monetary Fund