Global Journal of Management and Business Research, E: Marketing, Volume 22 Issue 2

commerce sales account for 14.1% of retail purchases worldwide”; Also; her study mentioned that“; In 2023, E- commerce retail purchases are expected to rise from 14.1% to 22%”; Purchasing goods and services through the online shopping system is trendy in the United States and European countries and has spread to third- world countries like India (Williams, 2021). The; primary issue that online grocery stores confront is gaining consumer loyalty. According; to (DAILY NEWS, 2020), before the COVID- 19 epidemic, online shopping stayed at 9% in Sri Lanka. However; during the pandemic, the percentage of online shopping overgrew from 9% to 47%. Keells; and Cargills supermarkets became the most used and popular online stores during the epidemic situation in Sri Lanka (DAILY NEWS, 2020). Other; than that, Sathosa, Laugh, Arpico, Glomark, and other supermarkets are also some popular supermarkets in Sri Lanka (DAILY NEWS, 2020). Says; that within the COVID-19 situation, 59% of people browsed to buy their essential groceries online. However; fact, only 47% of consumers purchased groceries online. The; remaining 12% tried to purchase goods and services online but refrained from buying goods and services due to the inconvenience and shortcomings. Another; 41% had not attempted to buy goods via the internet; because of unawareness about this online shopping mechanism, lack of confidence in the system, and lack of devices required to buy (DAILY NEWS, 2020). c) Research Gap The studies overlooked the connection between how customer loyalty depends on other factors such as customer satisfaction, customer confidence, customer trust, product quality, and technology adoption regarding the age; of the people. According; to this study, age; is a theoretical gap because age; in other countries is not described as a research moderator under the research gap. Numerous; advantages of purchasing online encourage people of all ages to make online purchases (Pratminingsih, Lipuringtyas, and Rimenta 2013). Meanwhile; there is a scarcity of empirical evidence on the subject of how to deal with age; and other factors that change customer loyalty in online shopping, such as customer satisfaction, customer confidence, customer trust, product quality, and technology adoption, which are limited in information about the relationship. According; to this, these variables may be related. However; few current studies have investigated the effects of these online shopping parameters on the relationship between customer loyalty and the online shopping effect. Consumers; buying groceries online used to be common until COVID became dreadlocked in the; lives of humans. The customer's; perception of the internet shopping trend has completely shifted. People; are discovering alternate ways to meet their requirements despite the worldly challenges, due to shops closing and physical connections among both parties being restricted. Consumers; could communicate virtually as technology reached their hands, allowing marketers who were unable to get the market within regular days to do so. People; were concerned about the security of their information becoming vulnerable as technology innovation increased the number of consumers entering the digital realm and kept the economy going. In; prior research, technology adoption was used to analyze customer loyalty. However; the variables that engage and secure customers in their cultural, social, and personal characteristics were not explored. Here; product quality is a significant reason customers are reluctant to get involved in online purchasing. When; shopping in a physical store, customers expect to be delighted with the product's; quality (Singh et al., 2017). The; same commodities provided on an online platform stimulate the customer's; interest in a beautiful website, but the actual quality of the entity frustrates. Maintaining; consistent product quality at a fair price is critical in online shopping. There; have been few studies on the quality of grocery products. As; a result, in this research, we looked at how product quality and technology adoption impacted customer loyalty in Sri Lanka after COVID-19. d) Research Questions 1. Is there a significant impact between customer trust and customer loyalty? 2. Is there a significant impact between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty? 3. Is there a significant impact between customer confidence and customer loyalty? 4. Is there a significant impact between product quality and customer loyalty? 5. Is there a significant impact between technology adoption and customer loyalty? 6. Is there a significant impact between age; as the moderator and customer loyalty? e) Research Objectives Overall Objectives • To identify the most significant factors affecting customer’s; loyalty to online groceries during the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Sri Lanka. Sub Objectives Use • To identify whether there is a positive impact between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. • To identify whether there is a positive impact between customer confidence and customer loyalty during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. • To identify whether there is a positive impact between product quality and customer loyalty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors Influencing Customer Loyalty in Online Groceries after COVID-19 in Sri Lanka 40 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXII Issue II Version I Year 2022 ( )E © 2022 Global Journals