ABSTRACT
Food purchase choices, one of the main determinants of food consumption, is highly influenced by food environments. Given the surge in online grocery shopping because of the COVID-19 pandemic, interventions in digital environments present more than ever an opportunity to improve the nutritional quality of food purchase choices. One such opportunity can be found in gamification. Participants (n = 1228) shopped for 12 items from a shopping list on a simulated online grocery platform. We randomized them into four groups in a 2 × 2 factorial design: presence vs. absence of gamification, and high vs. low budget. Participants in the gamification groups saw foods with 1 (least nutritious) to 5 (most nutritious) crown icons and a scoreboard with a tally of the number of crowns the participant collected. We estimated ordinary least squares and Poisson regression models to test the impact of the gamification and budget on the nutritional quality of the shopping basket. In the absence of gamification and low budget, participants collected 30.78 (95% CI [30.27; 31.29]) crowns. In the gamification and low budget condition, participants increased the nutritional quality of their shopping basket by collecting more crowns (B = 4.15, 95% CI [3.55; 4.75], p < 0.001). The budget amount ($50 vs. $30) did not alter the final shopping basket (B = 0.45, 95% CI [-0.02; 1.18], p = 0.057), nor moderated the gamification effect. Gamification increased the nutritional quality of the final shopping baskets and nine of 12 shopping list items in this hypothetical experiment. Gamifying nutrition labels may be an effective strategy to improve the nutritional quality of food choices in online grocery stores, but further research is needed.
ABSTRACT
In this study, we employ a choice experiment to analyze New York City residents' preferences for online grocery shopping at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We employ a latent class specification to identify three market segments and estimate consumers' willingness to pay for a variety of attributes of online grocery services related to the quality of the stock, delivery characteristics, and the cost of the online order. We characterize consumers in each segment by their observed characteristics as well as fear-related latent variables. On the one hand, we find that individuals who are actively protecting themselves against COVID-19 have a higher willingness to pay for almost all attributes. On the other hand, consumers who avoid crowds have a lower willingness to pay, but they assign relatively higher importance to no-contact delivery.
ABSTRACT
This study aims to understand the mechanisms of consumers' online grocery shopping (OGS) acceptance in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Through this perspective, an extended technology acceptance model is employed by including the fear of COVID-19 factor to reveal the extent of the Turkish consumers' acceptance of OGS. We have tested the proposed research model on 455 survey participants living in various cities of Turkey. Structural equation modeling is employed to test the eleven research hypotheses. The results indicate that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude are valid predictors of OGS acceptance. Besides, the fear of COVID-19 negatively moderates these relationships. By revealing these empirical results, this study provides some useful insights into our understanding of the acceptance mechanisms of OGS processes in a pandemic situation. We hope to pinpoint the underlying reasons for the vast expansion of OGS among Turkish customers in pandemic times. © 2022 The authors.
ABSTRACT
Online grocery shopping has become increasingly popular in many countries due to Covid‐19. Although there is plenty of research on consumer adoption and use of online grocery shopping, only a few studies focus on understanding the underlying beliefs of experienced buyers. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour and following its recommendations, the present study set out to explore the actual beliefs that underlie attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control to buy groceries online among those who have been doing it regularly for a longer time. A structured qualitative approach, in this case an elicitation study, was applied to uncover the shared ideas, modal salient beliefs, among a group of experienced buyers (n = 14). The study found that time‐saving and convenience, which for many meant avoiding the discomfort of in‐store shopping, combined with assisted meal planning and simultaneous ordering were considered important for experienced online shoppers. This suggests that further assistance in the planning to order process may be welcome, including more proactive prompts and suggestions. The quality of perishable goods was still a concern after months of online shopping, along with a limited product range, which for some had meant less variation in meals. Suboptimal user interface and delivery‐related inflexibility caused some concern. Retailers in the grocery business stand before major capital expenditure if they wish to expand their online offerings and services. The study at hand provides valuable initial insight into what drives consumer behaviour in this respect.
ABSTRACT
People express opinions, make connections, and disseminate information on social media platforms. We considered grocery-related tweets as a proxy for grocery shopping behaviors or intentions. We collected data from January 2019 to January 2022, representing three typical times of the normal period before the COVID-19 pandemic, the outbreak period, and the widespread period. We obtained grocery-related geotagged tweets using a search term index based on the top 10 grocery chains in the US and compiled Google Trends online grocery shopping data. We performed a topic modeling analysis using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), and verified that most of the collected tweets were related to grocery-shopping demands or experiences. Temporal and geographical analyses were applied to investigate when and where people talked more about groceries, and how COVID-19 affected them. The results show that the pandemic has been gradually changing people's daily shopping concerns and behaviors, which have become more spread throughout the week since the pandemic began. Under the causal impact of COVID-19, people first experienced panic buying groceries followed by pandemic fatigue a year later. The normalized tweet counts show a decrease of 40% since the pandemic began, and the negative causal effect can be considered statistically significant (p-value = 0.001). The variation in the quantity of grocery-related tweets also reflects geographic diversity in grocery concerns. We found that people in non-farm areas with less population and relatively lower levels of educational attainment tend to act more sensitively to the evolution of the pandemic. Utilizing the COVID-19 death cases and consumer price index (CPI) for food at home as background information, we proposed an understanding of the pandemic's impact on online grocery shopping by assembling, geovisualizing, and analyzing the evolution of online grocery behaviors and discussion on social media before and during the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to explore perceptions of online grocery shopping and the online United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer card (EBT) program among Head Start caregivers. Three focus groups were conducted between December 2019 and January 2020. Most participants hadn't tried online grocery shopping. Concerns included others choosing perishables, receiving wrong items, and inappropriate substitutes. Perceived benefits included saving time, preventing impulse buys, and eating healthier. Results have broad applicability in the current COVID-19 pandemic where online grocery shopping and the online SNAP EBT program have rapidly expanded across the United States.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Caregivers , Commerce , Food Assistance , Food Supply , Internet , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Pandemics , Poverty , United States , Supermarkets , Early Intervention, Educational , Focus GroupsABSTRACT
The evolution of online shopping started when big players like Amazon began selling all types of merchandise. Customers understood the ease of shopping online, so the trend grew even stronger. It is therefore essential to conduct a study of online shopping usage and the perception of customers during COVID-19, especially in the grocery sector. In this study, approximately 28 respondents from 50 specifically targeted groups were surveyed, and data collection was undertaken through a structured questionnaire. The regression method was conducted to analyze the collected data. Additionally, 5 interviews were conducted to validate and support the findings. Customers definitely preferred online grocery shopping (OGS) services during COVID-19 due to safety, convenience, and government restrictions. The influential factors were very important in this case, like delivery times, good discounts, and the quality of products. Secondly, OGS services were more stable and alert during the pandemic situation, following the government's rules and restrictions. Customers were extremely satisfied with the safety precautions during COVID-19, the assistance provided through helplines for support, and the increased customer reach to make groceries as accessible as other reputable online departments.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about several changes in the regular life of consumers. One such field is eGrocery, where a surge in online grocery orders were seen when the nation was on lockdown. The purpose of this study is to study the impact of COVID-19 on eGrocery and to find a relation between consumer's demographic characteristics and the satisfaction level of ordering groceries online. Design/methodology/approach: The author has conducted primary research by doing a survey online. One hundred sixty diverse responses were received, which were further analyzed using SPSS software and visually represented through Tableau. Findings: The paper finds that demographic variables, especially gender and age, affect consumers' behavior while making online grocery purchases. Findings also reveal there is a difference among the five recognized attributes, Convenient Delivery Slots, Better Deals/Discounts, Cash free transactions, Return policy, and social distancing, before and during the lockdown. We also find that respondents leaned towards brick and mortar stores for their grocery shopping before the outbreak and more towards eGrocery platforms such as BigBasket (45%), Zomato (25%) during the pandemic. Originality/value: The main contribution of this paper is to analyze the behavior of consumers during the pandemic of 2020. Currently, not many relevant papers are there for reference. This paper can serve as a reference for the students who opt for a similar topic, want to study, and write on the COVID-19 outbreak.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing future trends in retailing and e-commerce immensely. Recent research revealed a considerable increase in online grocery shopping (OGS) since the COVID-19 pandemic started. In addition, current statistics indicate a steady increase in OGS over the coming years. Despite this, less is known about whether consumers' behavior is evolving to a 'new normal' or returning to 'old habits' after pandemic restrictions are withdrawn. To address this research gap, we operationalize and empirically analyze offline and online purchasing behavior before, during, and after pandemic restrictions. To this end, we use an extensive household panel dataset of 17,766 households reporting their purchases before, during and after the first lockdown in Germany in 2020. Our findings on offline purchase patterns show that while more than 10% of the consumers avoided brick-and-mortar retail during the lockdown, almost all of them returned afterwards. Looking at online purchase patterns, we find high volatility in OGS for both separate and combined purchase patterns. The combined analysis of purchase patterns (online and offline), reveal that households that avoided brick-and-mortar stores during the lockdown did not switch (completely) to the online channel. Based on our findings that consumers are still in reach of brick-and-mortar retailers we suggest offline retailers act now to retain their customers, e.g., by offering competitive benefits in their stores. OGS operators should urgently analyze the customer churn revealed in this analysis and derive measures to retain them. They do not seem to have succeeded in retaining their customers and keeping them loyal to the online channel during the entire observation period. Even worse, they also failed to convince consumers to use OGS who stayed at home due to the lockdown. The fact that a total of 96.75% of the observed consumers did not practice OGS at all shows that OGS in Germany was in 2020 still in its infancy. However, as current statistics forecast a further substantial increase in OGS over the coming years, our results are increasingly relevant for brand managers, brick-and-mortar retailers and OGS providers in Germany and beyond.
ABSTRACT
Adoption of online shopping for groceries has remained low compared to other retail domains but has accelerated due to the long-term impact of COVID-19. This study aims to assess the psychological factors that influence consumers' actual online grocery purchases under the new normal by combining purchase panel data and survey data. This study confirms that online grocery purchase amount is affected by traditional utilitarian channel choice factors including perceived risk, search cost, price-consciousness, and quality-consciousness. In addition, under the new normal, the results reveal that staying at home (especially during weekdays) and having more time leads consumers to purchase more online. Further, consumers with higher anxiety about COVID-19 are more likely to purchase online. The insights from this paper help retailers and marketers develop customer strategies. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
Online grocery shopping has become increasingly popular in many countries due to Covid-19. Although there is plenty of research on consumer adoption and use of online grocery shopping, only a few studies focus on understanding the underlying beliefs of experienced buyers. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour and following its recommendations, the present study set out to explore the actual beliefs that underlie attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control to buy groceries online among those who have been doing it regularly for a longer time. A structured qualitative approach, in this case an elicitation study, was applied to uncover the shared ideas, modal salient beliefs, among a group of experienced buyers (n = 14). The study found that time-saving and convenience, which for many meant avoiding the discomfort of in-store shopping, combined with assisted meal planning and simultaneous ordering were considered important for experienced online shoppers. This suggests that further assistance in the planning to order process may be welcome, including more proactive prompts and suggestions. The quality of perishable goods was still a concern after months of online shopping, along with a limited product range, which for some had meant less variation in meals. Suboptimal user interface and delivery-related inflexibility caused some concern. Retailers in the grocery business stand before major capital expenditure if they wish to expand their online offerings and services. The study at hand provides valuable initial insight into what drives consumer behaviour in this respect. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ABSTRACT
Online Grocery Shopping (OGS) has grown dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unknown, however, how consumers weighed pandemic situational factors versus household production considerations of timesaving and cost. We collect and analyze survey data from a nationally representative sample to examine how consumers with different health and socio-demographic profiles consider these factors for OGS choices and how their choices changed in the first seven months of the pandemic. We find that consumers with moderate-to-high income, white, having insurance, and not in the labor force value the timesaving and convenience of OGS more than pandemic situational factors. Still, some consumers with health risks choose to shop in person because of the cost of OGS. Lung disease, diabetes, mental health conditions, age, income, and college degree explain the dynamics of OGS choice as the pandemic evolved. Our findings shed light on the development of technology-assisted adaptation to future public health emergencies.
ABSTRACT
The globalization trend during the Covid-19 pandemic showed that there are more consumers willing to shop online than visit physical stores. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of convenience, service quality, and social factors on consumer online grocery shopping behavior in Singapore during the Covid-19 pandemic. Data were collected from 153 respondents in Singapore via a survey, which was distributed through an online platform. A cross sectional study was applied, and the research instruments used were adapted from several past studies. Research hypotheses were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that convenience (β = 0.360, t = 4.063, p < 0.01) and service quality (β = 0.416, t = 5.495, p < 0.01) significantly influence consumer online grocery shopping. However, social factors (β = 0.042, t = 0.490, p > 0.05) have no significant influence on consumer online grocery shopping. With the help of the Theory of Planned Behavior, the present study has provided support for previous studies as well as clarified the roles played by convenience, service quality, social factors in consumer online grocery shopping behavior in Singapore. © 2022 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
During the first quarter of 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of Canadians, changing the way they worked, studied, and shopped. In addition to restrictions on freedom of movement and gathering, there was confusion spread on social media platforms about points and rates of transmission. Inconsistent messaging from public health authorities and government representatives eroded public trust, despite the initially low rate of infection. This research was carried out through four cross-country surveys to explore the experience and perceptions about food retail and food service during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Results suggest confusion and fear towards food provisioning. As well, telecommuting and adoption of online shopping tools drove consumer behaviour in food retail during the first wave of the pandemic. Our findings demonstrate a need for innovation in the food retailing and service sector.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to limit their physical interactions, which has led to explosive growth in online grocery shopping. However, there is no clear consensus in the retailing literature on whether consumers prefer to buy groceries online. The objective of this current study is to synthesize research about online grocery shopping published before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop a conceptual framework about online grocery purchase intentions and their determinants, the mediation effects of consumers' attitudes, the moderating effects of COVID-19, and control variables. The meta-analysis presents data derived from 50 independent samples with a sample size of 20,538 respondents. Selected determinants were identified as triggers for online grocery purchase intentions, and perceived usefulness and consumer attitude were identified as important mediators between determinants and intentions. The findings clarify the mechanisms behind the increase in online grocery shopping during the pandemic by presenting a decrease in the importance of its strongest determinants (i.e., perceived usefulness and attitude). Based on these findings, we present contributions to theory, managerial implications, and future research directions.
ABSTRACT
The Coronavirus disease (COVID19) has brought many impacts to the activities including changed the habit for shopping the daily groceries. The purpose of this research is to examine the intention to use the Online Groceries Shopping (OGS) based on the framework of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with two primary factors that influence the intention to use technology OGS: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. This is a quantitative research with non-probability sampling techniques of 317 respondents measured by 5 Point Likert scale and using Structural Equation Model (SEM) Smart PLS version 3 to analyze the data. The results obtained show all variables have positive and significant relationship to the intention to use OGS during the Covid19 Pandemic. © 2021 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
This study investigates how the COVID-19 reshapes grocery shopping (GS) modes, physical grocery shopping (PGS) and online grocery shopping (OGS), by conducting an online survey that includes questions associated with social-economic characteristics, GS choices and reasons before, during, and in the short- and the long-term after COVID-19, as well as the adoption attitudes toward automated delivery services. A series of binary logit models are built to analyze what factors affect the OGS with the influence of COVID-19. The results show a significant shift from PGS to OGS due to the pandemic, which is also extended beyond COVID-19. People who are female, have more available vehicles, higher income, and health constraints, or worry the virus show more tendency to choose OGS as the primary mode during COVID-19, and stay with OGS after COVID-19. In addition, the elderly and those who frequently shop in person and by car before the pandemic and regard the OGS as either a primary or a supplementary mode are more likely to experience OGS after COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers in many countries have increasingly adopted online grocery shopping. This study aims to investigate the demographic and household characteristics of these adopters, by analyzing the data from a large-scale survey (n=2568) in Finland. The results indicate that a typical adopter of online grocery shopping due to Covid-19 is less than 45 years old, and one with some concern over own health or that of a loved one. The more likely adopters also have a higher household size, higher household earnings, and/or they are more likely to live in the capital region of the country. Further, the results indicate that in the older age group (45+), women and those with some degree of worry over own health and/or that of a loved one are a little more likely to be adopters than the rest. © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
There has been a pronounced increase in online shopping since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We study the effect of the pandemic on demand for online grocery shopping specifically, using municipality-level data from a Dutch online supermarket. We find that an additional hospital admission increased app traffic by 7.3 percent and sales per order by 0.31 percent. Local hospital admissions do not correlate with the variety of groceries ordered, but online search behavior does, suggesting that hoarding behavior is driven by the general perception and impact of the virus rather than local conditions. Local COVID-19 conditions also have different effects in urban versus non-urban municipalities, with local hospital admissions increasing app traffic in urban areas but lowering sales per order as compared to non-urban areas. It remains to be seen whether the demand for online grocery shopping will permanently increase as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10645-021-09389-y.
ABSTRACT
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on-demand grocery delivery service that combines mobile technology and city logistics has gained tremendous popularity among grocery shoppers as a substitute to self-service grocery shopping in the store. This paper proposes an intelligent comparative approach where fuzzy logic and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method are combined to determine the importance weights of the criteria for marketing mix elements (7Ps) of the on-demand grocery delivery service for the period before COVID-19 and during COVID-19. In addition to its comprehensive theoretical insight, this paper provides a practical contribution to decision makers who create a marketing mix for the on-demand grocery delivery service and other similar online grocery businesses in terms of efficient allocation of resources to the development of marketing mix elements. The study's findings can also provide clues for the decision makers in times of similar pandemics and crises that are likely to be seen in the future.