Assessing consumer complaints during COVID-19 in Mexico using large-scale Twitter data

Abstract

The unprecedented growth of e-commerce in Mexico triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the initial lockdown became a challenge for retailers in terms of complaint management. While marketing studies have investigated the use of social media in this context, there is little research from a consumer perspective to understand how digital communication has transformed consumers’ ability to obtain redress from companies. This study uses the theoretical framework of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and complaining behavior to explore and understand online consumer complaints during the pandemic. Through analysis of large-scale Twitter data in 2019 and 2020 (just over 95,000 tweets), we quantified the frequency of complaints to show the evolution of this phenomenon for seven of the country’s leading retailers. The data granularity is presented via a qualitative content analysis. Results indicate that most retailers present a similar trend in terms of number and type of complaints during the pandemic; however, some of them seem to have been able to adapt more quickly as their level of complaints decreased. Electronic markets, on the contrary, presented a different type of issues. Overall, topics related to delivery, return, and service were among the most frequently tweeted. Complaints also suggest that the lack of knowledge on procedures and insufficient information are dimensions that need the retailers' attention. By comparing the formal complaints filed by consumers to their Twitter’s use, the study concludes that consumers are using it to complain.