The Impact of Regional COVID-19 Outbreak on Consumers' Risk Perception of Purchasing Food Online.

This paper examines the perception of risk associated with the presence of coronavirus in food purchased online and online vs. offline food shopping during the COVID-19 epidemic. The influence of COVID-19 status on risk perception was tested using the data collected from 742 consumers between December 2021 and January 2022. The empirical approach distinguished between the epidemic's status in a province (or region), city, and other areas of the country and applied the ordered logit technique. The regional and citywide epidemic increased the perception that online purchases carry the virus and are riskier than those made offline. Further examination showed that the regional/provincial epidemic created the perception that packaging or social media use were risk factors when purchasing food online. Heterogeneity analysis showed that risk perception was significantly higher in affected cities than in non-affected provinces or other provinces. Risk perception differed across five online food categories, with the highest levels for online-ordered meals and fresh products. Strengthening COVID-19 prevention and control in cities and the province, managing risk due to the handling of food purchased online, and government monitoring of social media use will lessen consumers' risk perceptions and encourage the use of online food offers during epidemics.

Impact of COVID- 19 on Eating Out Culture and Sensory Priorities

Purpose- The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether sensory priorities & dining out habits of the society were modified during COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.Design / Methodology/ Approach- Data was collected from a total 304 respondents comprising frequent diners, academicians and industry practitioners. A structured questionnaire was designed through a detailed discussion with academicians & practitioners. Exploratory factor analysis was used to explore most preferred food choice variables whereas a paired sample t test was performed to assess shifts in frequencies of eat out prior and post COVID 19 pandemic outbreak.Findings- 'Taste and flavor of the product' was most preferable sensory priority for food selection before pandemic. However, this priority has been replaced by hygiene, cleanliness, zero touch points and contactless order due to COVID-19 pandemic. Newly emerged most preferred food choice variables include touch less consumer experience, sanitized restaurants, food safety certifications, contactless order, health and hygiene. Restaurants had to reframe, restructure their SOPs and strategies to gain the confidence of the customers as an outbreak of a pandemic disrupted lifestyle whereas consumption pattern, dining habits of consumers were modified. Originality/value- This study reveals the modified dining out habits and conscious consumption led to changed sensory priorities, as a strategy to recover from a worldwide epidemic and transition to a "new normal" phase of the service sector.

Consumer quality management for beverage food products: analyzing consumer' perceptions toward repurchase intention

Purpose: The research on consumerism has been dramatically rising in recent decades. However, in the food industry, little research has been empirically conducted in the beverage industry. This research empirically tests the consequences of consumer perceptions: perceived price (PPR), perceived quality (PQ), perceived packaging (PPG) and perceived taste (PT) on repurchase intention (RI) particularly;it unveils the consumer attributes, e.g. gender, age and ethnicity between consumer perceptions and RI of the consumers. Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected from 403 consumers of the beverage industry (e.g. Nestle, Mitchell's Fruit Farms, Murree Brewery and OMORE) in Pakistan. The researchers used online survey questionnaires followed by a cross-sectional approach because data collection physically was not possible due to COVID-19. Findings: Data were analyzed by Smart partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) 3.3.3, and the results supported the significant influence of consumer perceptions separately, e.g. PPR, PQ, PPG and PT on RI. Additionally, gender, age and ethnicity were found to have a moderating role between consumer perceptions and RI, so, the truth of having consumer attributes has been revealed. Practical implications: The managers of beverage industries should provide ethical and operational strategies to tackle consumer's problems based on cultural norms. Furthermore, they should make sensible measures for the quality branding of the beverage products. In this way, the consumers will have a better experience of quality, price, taste and packaging, in turn, to RI. Originality/value: This research targeted the beverage industry that needs facts and figures based on consumer attributes, e.g. age, gender and ethnicity. This research also disclosed the behaviors of consumers according to their gender, age and area of residence. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The Study on People's Live-Streaming Consumption of Fresh Products and Its Influencing Factors-A Data Model Analysis in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic

Against the backdrop of the rapid development of e-commerce and the severe blow to fresh food e-commerce shopping caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, this paper discusses consumers' perceptions of fresh food in the e-commerce live streaming mode using data mining in conjunction with a literature review and a questionnaire survey before presenting research findings that analyze influencing factors and product purchase behaviours. The total consumption and frequency of live-streaming consumption(FLSC) are closely examined in consumer behaviours. We investigate product's cost-performance cognitions(PCC), influencers cognitions(IC), logistics cognitions(LC),discounts cognitions(DC), live-streaming platforms cognitions(LPC), on-line interaction cognitions (OIC), live-streaming disadvantage cognitions(LDC), and impulsive consumption cognitions(ICC) as influencing factors. According to the data model fitting results, merchants can refer to research suggestions and optimize their marketing strategies, improve the problems in the fresh food live streaming marketing strategy, and improve consumer satisfaction, thereby promoting the development of fresh food e-commerce. © 2022 IEEE.

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on consumers' perceptions of genetically modified food.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has generated significant economic loss and an unprecedented challenge to people's livelihoods. Using household data collected in November 2020, this study shows that the COVID-19 outbreak has significantly affected consumers' perceptions and consumption of genetically modified (GM) food in China. Their perceptions and purchase intentions have turned more negative, and their actual purchase of GM food has decreased after the COVID-19 outbreak. The study's results also indicate that consumers with more knowledge of genetic modification technology are less likely to change their perceptions of GM food.

An Analysis of COVID-19's Effects on Online Payments Using ANOVA

Adoption of digital payment methods rises during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak is affecting how consumers make payments. The majority of customers want to continue using digital payments once the virus has been contained. Global consumers were using them more frequently than they had before the epidemic. The main payment options gaining from this shift are e-Wallets and contactless cards as people use less cash and make more online purchases. Prior to COVID 19, fewer people used digital payment methods worldwide. When Covid-19 spread and physical transactions were on the verge of collapse, digital payments became a reality. This study's primary goals are to evaluate the effectiveness ofonline payment apps used by respondents during Covid 19 and consumer perceptions of the uptake of these methods. Both primary and secondary methods are applied in the process. Structured questionnaires were given to the residents of the Chennai area using the primary data approach. Articles, journals, and various forms of Internet have been utilized in secondary data. The collected data is analysed through Analysis of Variance method. The conclusion of this study shows that people were satisfied that online payment app is more convenient, time saving and easy to adopt. Thoughthere are many barriers in online payment app there were some preventive measures and security. © 2022 IEEE.

Green-Labelled Rice versus Conventional Rice: Perception and Emotion of Chinese Consumers Based on Review Mining.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased public health awareness, changing consumers' sensitivity and beliefs about food health. Food anxiety and health scares turn consumers toward safe and healthy foods to strengthen their immunity, which makes green food more popular. However, it remains unclear how to understand the gap between consumer intention to purchase green food and their actual purchasing behaviour. Taking rice as an object of study, comparing differences in consumer perceptions and emotions towards green-labelled rice and conventional rice is beneficial for understanding the components and psychological characteristics of consumer perceptions of green food. Therefore, we used topic modelling and sentiment analysis to explore consumers' focus of attention, attitudinal preferences, and sentiment tendencies based on the review (n = 77,429) from JD.com. The findings revealed that (1) consumers' concerns about green-labelled rice are increasing rapidly, and most have a positive attitude; (2) consumers of green-labelled rice are more concerned about origin, aroma, and taste than conventional rice; (3) consumers of conventional rice are more concerned about the cost-performance ratio, while consumers of green-labelled rice are also price-sensitive; (4) green label mistrust and packaging breakage during logistics are the leading causes of negative emotions among consumers of green-labelled rice. This study provides a comparative analysis of consumer perceptions and emotions between the two types of rice, thus revealing the main influencing factors of the intention-behaviour gap and providing valuable consumer insights for the promotion of green consumption and the sustainable development of the green food industry.

E-Shopping During Covid 19 Pandemic: Consumers' Perception in Malaysia

The research discusses about factors affecting Malaysian consumers' intention towards E-shopping during Covid-19 pandemic. The factors involved in this study are perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, subjective norms, product involvement, and perceived risk. In our current generation, online buyers are getting more pervasive due to the advancement in technology which will save the time of the online buyers. As the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, there is a sharp increase of Malaysian consumers purchasing product and services from online platform. The research was conducted via a cross sectional study within a period of 6 months. Data was collected via online questionnaire from a total of 150 respondents and analysed using SPSS. The findings from this research indicates that perceived ease of use and subjective norm have a significant relationship with Malaysian consumers' intention towards E-shopping during Covid-19 pandemic. However, perceived usefulness, product intention and perceived risk did not have a significant relationship with Malaysian consumers' intention towards E-shopping during Covid-19 pandemic. © 2022 IEEE.

Intention of Consumer Perception towards Online Buying Behaviour during Pandemic Period

During COVID 19 pandemic second wave situation, the consumers are totally disturbed and all the retail shops were closed except grocery shops. The Retail Shops were closed in order to safe guard the public from this pandemic. Today's consumers are forced to buy essential electronics through e-marketing. Social media like tweeter, WhatsApp, Facebook and lot of marketing e- platform like e bay, Amazon, Flip cart etc. supports establishments to trade the merchandise in the digital raised area. The customer perception and customer satisfaction towards online buying behavior is very important. The COVID 19 pandemic second wave lockdown period changed the world history into new mode of buying and selling goods. This study was conducted in the Chennai and in Delhi. It is a realistic analysis and reference designated for this investigation remained 400 created on appropriate sampling procedures. The collected primary data were analyzed and computed with IBM SPSS v25. The parameters present in this research were validated by means of Chi square and cross tabulation study. © 2022 IEEE.

Gen Y consumer perceptions of web-based sustainability communications - the case of luxury fashion

Past research has outlined a paradox between sustainability and luxury fashion products, which has changed more recently in that studies highlight the importance of sustainable luxury. Accelerated by COVID-19 sustainability information shown on luxury brands' websites has increased, where they provide analogous information to engage their consumers, yet the impact of which remains unknown. This study utilises sustainability communication as a theoretical underpinning to address this gap. This study is based on a qualitative inquiry into how Gen Y consumers perceive and engage with the information broadcasted on luxury companies' websites. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted and carefully analysed, thereby highlighting three levels of consumer engagement in communication. Findings thus, contribute to the debates surrounding sustainability communication by looking at information conveyed on companies' websites from consumers' perspective. The results provide novel insights into sustainability communication theory, outlining three unique layers that have different outcomes in terms of awareness and action. The findings also provide some suggections for luxury fashion companies to effectively manage their sustainability communication on their companies' websites.

Microbiological risks versus putative chemical risks based on hazard rather than exposure: can it be rationalized for public understanding?

Both hazard- and risk-based approaches are used to manage the safety of foods. Each approach has merits. However, the different methodologies and terminology used can lead to challenges for public understanding and for risk communication. The widespread application of hazard analysis and critical control point (now evolving as hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls) supported by chemical and microbial risk assessment is part of a modern food system that delivers very safe food. Nonetheless, many consumers are worried about food safety and there are professional differences about the best ways of protecting public health. Several approaches have been proposed for the better classification of chemical hazards. In addition, frameworks are evolving that can support better regulation based on hazards and risks. This has the potential to improve priority setting and public understanding. Risk assessment has been in the public spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic and new scientific tools have been deployed (e.g., wastewater surveillance) that have the potential to improve food microbial risk assessment and consumer understanding. Finally, data triangulation from multiple methods may support better hazard identification and risk assessment with the potential to improve public confidence in food safety. © 2023 International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter 63 - Microbiological risks versus putative chemical risks based on hazard rather than exposure: can it be rationalized for public understanding?

Both hazard- and risk-based approaches are used to manage the safety of foods. Each approach has merits. However, the different methodologies and terminology used can lead to challenges for public understanding and for risk communication. The widespread application of hazard analysis and critical control point (now evolving as hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls) supported by chemical and microbial risk assessment is part of a modern food system that delivers very safe food. Nonetheless, many consumers are worried about food safety and there are professional differences about the best ways of protecting public health. Several approaches have been proposed for the better classification of chemical hazards. In addition, frameworks are evolving that can support better regulation based on hazards and risks. This has the potential to improve priority setting and public understanding. Risk assessment has been in the public spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic and new scientific tools have been deployed (e.g., wastewater surveillance) that have the potential to improve food microbial risk assessment and consumer understanding. Finally, data triangulation from multiple methods may support better hazard identification and risk assessment with the potential to improve public confidence in food safety.

The millennial consumer's perception of digital messages from the banking sector during the pandemic

During the pandemic, brands have seen the need to create messages with greater authenticity in order to become closer and be more relevant to the consumer. Thus, advertisements on digital platforms during the COVID-19 crisis came to modify their essence and structure, telling stories that involved the subject more and making him the protagonist of the message. Some authors have catalogued this restructuring of the advertising discourse during the crisis as Advertcrisis: a creative line that uses the crisis itself to elaborate messages that promote products and services. There are several categories that have used this formula -such as the banking category-, which used the crisis as a creative line to develop its discourse. For this reason, many messages focused on highlighting concepts such as union, progress or improvement. The objective of this study was to analyze, through in-depth interviews, the perception of men and women about the digital messages that some brands of the banking category developed during the first months of the pandemic. It has been observed how the participants of this research have had a negative perception of these many of the virtual strategies, since these have only been limited to emit empty emotional messages, unrelated to the real problems they were going through. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 Information and Consumer Perception

The objective ofthis study is to examine the consumers’perceptions on Covid-19information disseminatedby government agencies. This study employs the factor analysis method on a sample of 634 consumers in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. It was found that the consumers frequently use the disseminated information from government agencies involved in the management of Covid-19, especially as transmitted through the social media namely Telegram, Facebook and Twitter. The prompt response of these agencies in denying false news proved to further increase the public’s confidence in the information provided. In addition, the Covid-19 information has also successfully influenced the behavior of the community to comply with enforced standard operating procedures. The study established that, pictorial information is seen to be more understood than other forms of information. Covid-19 information should thus be disseminated by government agencies since it is adopted by all members of the public. © 2022 Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All rights reserved.

Impact of the COVID pandemic on consumer perceptions of digital payment systems in Pune city

This paper highlights theimpact on consumer perception of digital payment methods in times of a COVID-19 period. In comparison to the pre-COVID-19 time, financial transactions have begun to use more digital payment options. Because of the coronavirus lockdown period all over India, people are afraid of going out to buy something. To that end, they use different methods of digital payment. However, the majority of individuals were compelled to embrace digitalization. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of a pandemic on customer perceptions of digital payment mechanisms. For users who want to do their transactions electronically, digital payment is the perfect solution. Digital payment methods are fast and secure modes of payment that ensure trust among the users. But most people are not aware of such digital payment methods. In digital payment methods, there is no intermediary between the buyer and seller of the goods. No doubt, there are security issues with online payments;this may be an inconvenience for many users and indicates a lack of trust in digital payment methods. This is the main reason that many people still prefer cash payments. We selected the Pune city region for the study of consumer perceptions of digital payment systems since most individuals use various digital payment methods for their daily financial activities. The current study analysed primary data from 137 respondents in Pune City to investigate consumer perceptions of digital payment methods based on criteria such as gender, age, education, benefits, trust, efficacy, ease of use, security, and consumers' perceptions toward digital payment methods. The data was analysed using correlation and ANOVA, and it was discovered that, based on the important parameters, there was no significant difference in consumer impression of digital payment methods even during the COVID pandemic. Usually, India is a traditionally cash-based economy, but now we see the growth of card-based economies.

Consumer Perception towards Online Grocery Shopping during COVID-19 Outbreak in India: An Empirical Approach

COVID - 19 has affected more than 211 countries and territories globally. Governments across the world are taking rigorous precautionary measures and issuing advisories to ensure people do not come out of their houses and the chain of corona virus is broken. The majority of people are following the guidelines stated by their respective government officials and staying at home. But, other that acquiring healthcare services;purchasing groceries and other food items is the only important task which forces people to leave their houses. This deliberately enhances the risk of people getting infected with corona virus. This pandemic situation has shifted the way of shopping grocery for many consumers. People across the whole world are escalating towards online grocery shopping platforms for even milk, eggs and bread. In urban areas people are mostly aware about online grocery services, but for many semi rural and rural areas of country this is still a new concept. Several online grocery shopping websites with assistance of local authorities had managed to supply contactless and doorstep deliveries maintaining all necessary safety measures. However, with sudden increase in demand, these online grocery suppliers have faced many challenges including supply chain pressure and maintaining availability and training of employees under such conditions. There may be several factors that decide the consumer perceptions towards shifting from traditional grocery purchase to online one. This study reveals the consumer behavior and perception of online grocery shopping and impact of demographics on it. It also try to analyze the significant influence of predicted factors on customer satisfaction level towards online grocery shopping. Online data collected from 166 respondents through questionnaire is analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23.

Continuous Purchase Intention from E-Marketplace: A case study of Organic Agricultural Products

Consumer habits and behaviours have been altered due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the emergence of new trends, ranging from proactively purchasing safe and nutritious goods to keeping necessary foods at home. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of factors that belonged to consumer perception of the organic agricultural products continuous purchase intention from the e-marketplace. The mixed research method was adopted through in-depth interviews and surveys. These research results pointed out the critical positive factors impacting the organic agricultural products continuous purchase intention from e-marketplace, including organic agricultural products knowledge, perceived price, perceived environmental protection, perceived health benefits, perceived quality, perceived policy in the Covid-19 pandemic. Some implications were proposed from the research results. © 2021 IEEE

Food Waste Perception of Workplace Canteen Users—A Case Study

Background: Food waste occurs in all stages of the food supply chain, namely in the food service sector. Understanding how much and why food is wasted and whether consumers are aware of it is essential to design effective interventions in this setting. This case study aims to compare the food waste perception by consumers and measure plate waste in a Portuguese workplace canteen in order to recognize if trained consumers can estimate his/her food waste. Methods: Data were collected from 160 users randomly selected attending a workplace canteen during one month. Plate waste was evaluated by the weighing method. Visual estimation was performed by each participant to evaluate food waste perception at the end of the meal. Consumers were also asked about reasons for wasting food. Results: Plate waste was 8.4% for soup, 9.0% for the main course, and 4.0% for dessert. These values follow the same trend of waste perceived by consumers for soup (R = 0.722;p ˂ 0.001), main course (R = 0.674;p ˂ 0.001), and dessert (R = 0.639;p ˂ 0.001), showing a high relation between self-assessment and measured plate waste. Excessive portions (46.1%), dislike of meal flavor (18.6%), cooking method (8.8%), and texture (3.9%) were identified as the main causes for plate waste. Conclusions: Canteen users showed an accurate perception of their plate waste for all meal components. Excessive portions were identified by consumers as the main reason for plate waste.

Factors Influencing Customers' Trust in E-Commerce during COVID-19 Pandemic

Trust is considered one of the most important factors that affects e-commerce success. Due to significant role presented by trust, many studies have been conducted to understand the trust variable and its effect e-commerce platforms. Researchers have suggested several factors that may influence e-commerce trust. The Pandemic scenario currently faced by the world has led to many changes in consumers' perceptions towards e-commerce on a large scale. This study reviews more in-depth the customers' trust factors on e-commerce during the COVID-19 period. Hence, in this paper presents a review conducted on customers' trust factors for e-commerce from 2007 to 2019 includes information quality, customer awareness, perceived privacy, perceived security risk, and user interface quality factors. This review reveals influence of this factors on customer trust in using e-commerce during COVID-19 situation. © 2021 IEEE.

Consumers' perceptions of risks associated with the use of Airbnb before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeAfter the COVID-19 outbreak began, travel demand dropped sharply and the potential impact of COVID-19 on sharing accommodations appears to be significant. Thus, it would be meaningful to investigate how travelers have changed their perceptions of staying at sharing accommodations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The purpose of this research was to compare consumers' perceived risks of using sharing accommodations, such as Airbnb, before and during the coronavirus pandemic.Design/methodology/approachPaired sample t-tests were applied, using two surveys collected in 2017 (pre-pandemic) and 2020 (peri-pandemic). The effects of stress levels from COVID-19 and previous experience with sharing lodging services on risk perception changes were also examined.FindingsConsumers showed higher social, physical, performance and convenience risk perceptions during the pandemic. Not surprisingly, those respondents who were more conscious of the pandemic in terms of concern and anxiety had higher changes in their risk perceptions. In addition, changes in risk perception differed by consumers' usage experience.Originality/valueThe results of this study add to the body of knowledge about consumers' risk perceptions of the sharing economy, particularly in connection with a huge disruption such as the COVID-19 pandemic.