Case 14: A netnographic view of Ramadan e-bazaars—digital transformation amid crisis

Ramadan is a special season for Muslim people and Ramadan bazaars are favorite destinations for Muslim consumers to celebrate their religious and cultural activities. During the COVID lockdown period, the regular business transactions of Ramadan bazaars were disrupted to the extent that the shift from bazaars to e-bazaars was crucial for business survival. Intriguingly, research on bazaars in general and Ramadan bazaars in particular is scant. By examining the attitudes of Ramadan (e-)bazaar vendors affected by the pandemic, we highlighted the significance and inevitable integration of digital channels into business models. Little is known about the intersection of business requirements and consumer needs guided by technology during and after the pandemic. To address this gap, we propose a digital interactive strategy which consists of three components: socio-economic, socio-technical, and techno-economic innovations, extending extant literature and providing a practical solution for business vendors to achieve viability and resilience, especially in the post-pandemic future.