E-COMMERCE DURING WARTIME: ADAPTATION STRATEGIES OF UKRAINIAN BUSINESS
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 fundamentally changed the operating conditions for domestic businesses. Companies faced unprecedented challenges: destruction of physical infrastructure, mass population migration, blockade of sea ports, limited land logistics, and constant risks of missile strikes on critical infrastructure. Under these conditions, e-commerce transformed from an auxiliary sales channel into a key mechanism for ensuring business continuity and economic survival of many enterprises. The scientific problem lies in identifying effective adaptation strategies in extreme business conditions through digital tools and finding optimal models for e-commerce functioning during a prolonged crisis caused by war.
The purpose. This research aims to determine and analyze key adaptation strategies of Ukrainian enterprises through e-commerce during the full-scale war (2022-2023), and to evaluate their effectiveness across different economic sectors compared to the pre-crisis period (2018-2021).
Results. The article examines the specifics of e-commerce development in Ukraine during wartime through comprehensive analysis of statistical data and case studies of leading companies. Despite initial challenges, Ukrainian businesses demonstrated high adaptability, recovering the number of enterprises engaged in e-commerce (+5.6% in 2023 compared to 2022) and significantly increasing online sales volumes (+17.7%). The research reveals substantial sectoral differences in adaptation strategies: the retail sector showed the highest absolute growth, the logistics sector demonstrated the highest e-commerce efficiency (19.1% of total sales), the information sector displayed market consolidation, while in manufacturing, food and light industry companies showed the highest digitalization rates. The study identifies five key technological factors ensuring e-commerce resilience: mobile commerce, omnichannel integration, digital payments, cybersecurity, and analytics with artificial intelligence.
Originality. The article develops a comprehensive framework for business adaptation in extreme crisis conditions and identifies critical success factors for digital resilience based on enterprise size and sector specifics. This research is the first to systematically analyze the transformation of e-commerce in Ukraine under wartime conditions across multiple economic sectors.
Conclusion. The study confirms the fundamental transformation of e-commerce's role in Ukraine's economy—from a market expansion tool to a key mechanism for ensuring business process continuity and supporting economic activity amid unprecedented challenges. Based on the identified trends, the authors propose strategic recommendations for enhancing business sustainability through technological innovation and business model adaptation in e-commerce, tailored to enterprises of different sizes and sectors.
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