The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on SMEs in Term of Customer Centricity in Slovakia and Hungary

The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on SMEs, with a particular focus on their customer centricity. In the theoretical approach, we explore role and importance of customer centricity, as well as changes in buying behavior, using scientific literature. In primary research phase, based on questionnaire survey, we present the effects of the pandemic using various statistical methods, with specific focus on corporate reliability, customer re-engagement, and encouraging repeat purchases. We can conclude that the more attention a company pays to reliability, the easier it can persuade customers to purchase their services and/or products. Companies that have experienced a crisis situation to a large extent are heavily focused on re-engaging their existing customers for repeat purchases. Companies that believe it is more challenging to persuade customers after the COVID-19 pandemic are looking to introduce new marketing tools in the hope of incentivizing purchases.