## 4 Results--Case Study
### Post-COVID-19 Period  
To appreciate the changes in consumers behavior as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in particular the shift towards the usage of e-commerce platforms, a questionnaire was designed and administered to approx. 120 customers of Company A. By customers, it is meant that they placed at least one order to the company (either online or in other ways) in the last two years. The key outcomes of the survey are described in the following paragraphs.  
In terms of descriptive aspects, respondents were a mix of female (52.8%) and male (47.2%). The majority of them (\(\approx\)48%) were aged between 20 and 29 years, while the remaining quota (\(\approx\)52%) was divided into 16.3% between the ages of 40 and 49, 15.4% between the ages of 50 and 59, 10.6% over 60, 6.5% under 20, and 3.3% between the ages of 30 and 39. Also, most of the respondents were either workers (45.5%) or students (42.3%); a small quota of 12.2% included either unemployed or retired people. As far as the level of education was concerned, 59.3% of the respondents were high school graduates, 34.3% had a bachelor's or master's degree, and 6.5% had a lower educational level. Almost all the respondents were located in the north of Italy. Looking expressly at the changes in consumer behavior, 97.5% of the respondents indicated that they have purchased a product online at least once. The remaining 2.5% of people, who have never used the online sales channel, were asked to indicate the reason; the answers obtained were the following: (1) no need to buy anything/never found anything to buy; (2) lack of confidence in buying a product online (i.e., without seeing it); and (3) no need to use the online sales channel. Instead, respondents that made use of the online sales channel were asked to indicate whether, during the pandemic emergency, the frequency of online shopping increased, decreased or remained unchanged. The majority of the respondents (63.3%) indicated an increase in the usage of online sales, followed by a quota of 35% who declared no changes in the usage of online sales, and a very small quota who experienced a decrease in the usage of the e-commerce channel.  
In the light of the outcomes gathered from the survey, the strategy followed by Company A in the post-COVID-19 era (from 2022 onwards) included significant efforts to reinforce commercial activities, in terms of the relationship between suppliers and customers and the management of non-conformities. Looking at the commercial activities, several new customers were added to the company's portfolio. Customers were asked to use digital systems, to reduce errors and enhance the adoption of more technological solutions. The feedback from customers was positive, with eight non-conformities only (two inbound and six outbound). Contracts with new suppliers were also signed. The number of employees increased slightly, as the company enrolled more people for the commercial/administrative staff; at the end of 2022, the number of employees was 12. The number of drivers decreased to 32, thus showing a reduction compared to 2021, but still remaining greater than that of the pre-COVID-19 period. Actions related to the quality policy were also made, by updating the related documents in December 2022, to keep them aligned with ISO 9001:2015 requirements.  
As far as the volume of products handled was concerned, a slight decrease was observed overall from 2022 onwards, because of the gradual restoring of the \"normal\" (i.e., pre-COVID-19) conditions of various sectors, and consequently, of the company's activity. In particular, the average number of products handled monthly was only +1% compared to 2019, with a greatest value in December 2022 (+31%). This is reflected by the economic data (for 2022) of Company A, which highlight a moderate decrease in the turnover (-4%) compared to 2021. The production value and cost were not so different (both around EUR 3,000,000), but overall, the company reached a profit of approx. EUR 6000.