ABSTRACT
Research on grocery shopping channel preferences has been growing in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, few studies have utilized the discrete choice experiment (DCE) to elicit choices in hypothetical scenarios. Moreover, attitudinal factors, which may better explain preference heterogeneity, are rarely considered. Given that the evolution of shopping behavior in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic has huge implications for transportation planning and modeling, this study aims to examine consumers' grocery shopping channel preferences through a DCE that was constructed with three grocery shopping channels (home delivery, curbside pickup, and in-store) and five time-cost attributes (product price, shopping time, delivery time, delivery cost, and travel time). 8,603 responses were elicited from 1,229 Florida residents between February and April 2021. Information on various aspects of respondents' shopping attitudes as well as their socio-demographic and household attributes, grocery shopping activities, and distance to the grocery store were also collected. Using mixed logit modeling for analyses, results indicate that individuals with low education, in low- to middle-income earning households, with three or more household vehicles, and having full access to a vehicle tended to prefer in-store shopping. Also, perceived security risk, pro-alternative mobility options, pro-local store shopping, and shorter distances to grocery stores predisposed individuals toward in-store shopping. Alternatively, females, young and middle-aged individuals, workers, and individuals in large households tended to prefer home delivery and curbside pickup. Technology savviness, pro-environment, pro-online shopping, and shopping enjoyment were also drivers of home delivery and curbside pickup purchases, while cost and time consciousness did not show significant effects. Overall, the findings in this study have implications for retailers, transportation planners, and policymakers.
ABSTRACT
To gain a better understanding of online education status during and after the pandemic outbreak, this paper analyzed the data from a recent survey conducted in the state of Florida in May 2020. In particular, we focused on college students' perception of productivity changes, benefits, challenges, and their overall preference for the future of online education. Our initial exploratory analysis showed that in most cases, students were not fully satisfied with the quality of the online education, and the majority of them suffered a plummet in their productivities. Despite the challenges, around 61% believed that they would prefer more frequent participation in online programs in the future (compared to the normal conditions before the pandemic). A structural equation model was developed to identify and assess the factors that contribute to their productivity and future preferences. The results showed that lack of sufficient communication with other students/ instructor as well as lack of required technology infrastructure significantly reduced students' productivity. On the other hand, productivity was positively affected by perceived benefits such as flexibility and better time management. In addition, productivity played a mediating role for a number of socio-economic, demographic, and attitudinal attributes: including gender, income, technology attitudes, and home environment conflicts. Accordingly, females, high income groups, and those with home environment conflicts experienced lower productivity, which indirectly discouraged their preference for future online education. As expected, a latent pro-online education attitude increased both the productivity and the future online-education preference. Last but not the least, Gen-Xers were more likely to adopt online-education in the post pandemic conditions compared to their peers.