The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in notable transformations of the commerce landscape, particularly in the realm of electronic commerce. This sector has experienced a precipitous advancement, characterized by substantial modifications of online business under-takings, encompassing both products and services. The aim of the current research was to explore the similarities and differences between European Union member states in the context of e-commerce in the post-pandemic period, taking into consideration the population’s level of education, the risk of poverty, as well as households’ access to the internet. The analysis was conducted for the year 2021, which represented the most recent year for which data were available, and was based on the application of the hierarchical cluster methodology, which included the Ward method and the Robust Tests of Equality of Means (Welch and Brown–Forsythe). Five clusters resulted, which included a minimum of three countries and a maximum of nine. The present study focused on examining the similarities and disparities within clusters, as well as among countries belonging to those clusters. These observed similarities and disparities are believed to be the outcome of various indicators that influence the realm of electronic commerce, and they are contingent upon the economic development level of each country and their ability to cope with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The information obtained in this study pertains to the future of electronic commerce in the sense of identifying premises that allow the development and application of development strategies.

中文翻译：

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后疫情时期欧盟电子商务的异同

COVID-19 大流行的出现导致商业格局发生显着变化，特别是在电子商务领域。该行业经历了突飞猛进的发展，其特点是在线业务发生了重大变化，包括产品和服务。当前研究的目的是探讨大流行后时期欧盟成员国在电子商务背景下的异同，同时考虑到人口的教育水平、贫困风险以及家庭' 访问互联网。该分析针对 2021 年进行，代表了可获得数据的最近一年，并基于层次聚类方法的应用，其中包括沃德方法和均值平等的稳健检验（韦尔奇和布朗） ——福赛斯）。产生了五个集群，其中至少包括三个国家，最多包括九个国家。本研究的重点是审查集群内部以及属于这些集群的国家之间的相似性和差异。这些观察到的相似点和差异被认为是影响电子商务领域的各种指标的结果，它们取决于每个国家的经济发展水平及其应对COVID-19大流行带来的挑战的能力。本研究中获得的信息涉及电子商务的未来，即确定允许制定和应用发展战略的前提。