How restaurants used digital marketing to keep their customers during the Covid-19

Sammanfattning: Covid-19 affected all industries worldwide and were affected differently, but one industry that faced many setbacks due to the Covid-19 pandemic is the restaurant industry. According to SCB (2021), cities between 50 000 – 99 999 inhabitants decreased by 18,9% in sales. My aim with the thesis is to examine the impact of digital marketing strategies on the sales and customer loyalty of restaurants during the Covid-19 pandemic in medium-sized cities. This thesis is intended to contribute information on how restaurants have worked to keep their customers during the pandemic with the help of digital tools such as social media marketing and online delivery services.  The usefulness of online delivery services and the shift toward digital and social media marketing because of covid-19 are the focus of this thesis research into the restaurant industry's marketing strategies. The thesis emphasizes how digital tools can help restaurants keep customers during the pandemic and speed up their recovery. Digital marketing was a cost-effective way to reach customers during the pandemic, according to the thesis conducted with six restaurant owners and managers in a medium-sized city. Despite the competitive advantage of online delivery services, maintaining customer loyalty was primarily driven by existing relationships.