The Impact of the Russian-Ukrainian War on E-Sellers in North Macedonia: Exploring Challenges and Demographic Influences

Abstract

This study explores the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war through an existing comprehensive survey, delving into the challenges e-sellers face in North Macedonia. The research specifically investigates how demographic factors influence e-sellers challenges in maintaining prices and coping with decreased demand, attributed to factors like inflation and the Russian-Ukrainian war. The ANOVA test was employed to assess the impact of categorical independent variables, including sales channels, years of operation, number of employees, and online sales, on these challenges. Regression (linear and quantile) is performed to determine the relationship between the variables. The results indicate that e-sellers operating under the click-and-mortar model face more challenges in maintaining prices compared to those exclusively selling online. Notably, other demographic factors such as years of operation, number of employees, industry, and online sales do not show statistically significant mean differences, suggesting a universal challenge for e-sellers. E-sellers with fewer employees (1-9), limited operational experience, newly established businesses, and lower online sales face the challenge of decreased demand more prominent.