## 5 Conclusions  
### Answer to the Research Questions  
Through a two-step analysis, this paper has deepened the analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the logistics and SC processes. As the first step, starting from a previous study [30], a comprehensive literature review, supported by statistical elaborations, was carried out with the aim of delineating scientific evidence on the subject. Then, as a second step, a case study was conducted to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a real logistics company. The outcomes of the study allow us to provide the following answers to the RQs of the study.  
* RQ1 (scientific): How have researchers studied the impact of COVID-19 on logistics and supply chain processes? Which industrial sectors were mostly studied and why? Which additional topics can be related to COVID-19 and logistics/supply chain?  
The statistical analyses carried out on the sample of papers reviewed immediately highlighted that the transport and logistics sector was the most investigated field with respect to the impact of COVID-19. The interest towards the transport and logistics sector stems from various factors. First, a shift in consumers towards the e-commerce channel was observed in the COVID-19 period, which forced logistics companies to adapt to this new context or to reinforce their activity in that market. Also, uncertainty caused by the pandemic emergency pushed consumers to buy more products (both in traditional and online retail channels), which again caused an increased demand for transport and logistics activities. The review also highlights the fact that additional topics have been investigated, together with the COVID-19 impact; this is the case of ICT tools, I4.0, and sustainability. In particular, ICT tools and I4.0 solutions play an important role in transport and logistics field as a suitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistics companies can indeed leverage digital tools for improving productivity and reducing errors and cost of their processes. Sustainability is a further important topic, motivated by the need for performing logistics activities with reduced environmental impact.  
* RQ2 (practical): What effects of COVID-19 on logistics and supply chain processes were experienced by companies?  
In line with the fact that the transport and logistics sector was one of the most studied in the literature with respect to the COVID-19 impact, the case study was conducted in a logistics company working as an express courier, with the aim of analyzing the company's activity before the COVID-19 outbreak, then in the COVID-19 period, and in the post-COVID-19 era. The outcomes of the case study confirm the scientific evidence, in various points. First, from the pre-COVID-19 to the post-COVID-19 period, the company experienced a significant change in consumer behavior, with almost all its customers declaring that they had used online sales in the last year and that they had increased the usage of the e-commerce channel as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This forced the company to enhance its activity in the electronic market, which, from a practical perspective, was achieved by significantly increasing the number of drivers in the COVID-19 period and reinforcing the usage of digital technologies. In economic terms, the company experienced an increase in its sales volume during the COVID-19 pandemic; the \"positive\" effect of the pandemic emergency progressively decreased starting from 2021, and in 2022, the pre-COVID-19 conditions were almost restored in terms of volumes. In economic terms, however, a worsening of the company's performance was observed. This could be a common issue for transport and logistics companies, partially motivated by the increase in the cost of fuel, but also by the relevant number of companies that have entered the e-commerce market in the COVID-19 period, thus making it more difficult to achieve competitive advantage in this field.