IMPACT OF DIGITAL RETAIL TRANSFORMATION ON ONLINE PURCHASE MODELS: A STUDY OF BULGARIAN CONSUMERS

This study aims to present theoretical ideas and practical manifestations of the impact of the digital transformation of commerce. The focus is on consumer purchasing patterns and their dependence and redefinition by digital technologies. The aim of the study is, on the basis of systematized theoretical arguments, to empirically validate a developed methodological framework for studying the influence of the digital transformation of trade on consumer online purchasing patterns and to formulate conclusions and generalizations based on the results obtained. Through a survey conducted in June - July 2025 of 154 Bulgarian consumers, designated as respondents, the necessary empirical data were collected. The interpretation of consumer behavior was predominantly associated with the patterns of online clothing purchases. The measurement of the analyzed correlations between selected factor variables of an economic, demographic and socio-psychological nature and outcome variables was carried out using a software product for computer processing - SPSS Statistics and the Excel program. The methodological framework of the study includes the application of the methods of descriptive analysis, chi -square analysis (Chi-square Test), the t-test method, the analysis of variance and the Shapiro-Wilk Test (Shapiro-Wilk Test), the method of linear regression and correlation. The results of the study show that the application of digital tools by retailers influences and determines consumer patterns of online purchase, highlighting certain similarities and differences between the studied consumers. The theoretical and practical significance of these results lies in retailers' better assessment of the potential benefits and challenges of transforming shopping towards improving the consumer experience in the context of digitalization.