Electronic Grocery Shopping Research Articles

Grounding the virtual: The material effects of electronic grocery shopping

This paper addresses the materiality of computer-mediated retailing. The paper uncovers the “hidden geography” of e-commerce, considering how the seemingly simple act of doorstep food delivery is explicated in urban form, and in transportation and communication infrastructures. The paper categorises electronic grocery shopping (EGS) enterprises into three types: “bricks and clicks”, “pure-play” and the “infomediary”, and examines how each type of operation has been materialised in the urban landscape, and the infrastructure upon which each draws. The paper then considers the strategies EGS operations have used to offset the “killer costs” of logistics for electronic commerce. The paper concludes by considering how electronic grocery shopping is embedded within broader trends in consumer behaviour, and how these trends are manifested in the materiality of urban life. The paper argues that online grocers are in the vanguard of ventures habituating customers to the remote ordering and delayed delivery of products to the home. Through controlling this “last mile”, online retailers hope to extend the product offer to higher-margin and more problematic products, which are in themselves unprofitable to distribute direct to the customer, but which can be profitably combined with a grocery shop.

A qualitative exploration of a consumer's value‐based e‐trust building process

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a value‐based framework for the consumer e‐trust building process.Design/methodology/approachThe data collection procedure consisted of two steps. The first was a brief questionnaire measuring potential informants' personal values. From this pool of potential informants, 30 were recruited for the interviews: five security‐ and five excitement‐minded consumers from three fields of electronic commerce; electronic newspapers, electronic grocery shopping, and electronic healthcare services.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal two value‐based external factors in e‐trust building that consumers perceive as risks in e‐commerce, and three value‐based behavioral patterns in e‐trust building that informants adopt to reduce perceived risks and build trust in e‐commerce. Furthermore, findings of the current study suggest that e‐trust building process is different based on individuals' personal values.Research limitations/implicationsThis study takes into account only two consumers' personal values, security and excitement, and ignores others. However, it identifies the role of the consumers' personal values in e‐trust building, and thus opens new perspectives for further e‐trust research. The study also identifies different strategies that consumers can use to build trust in e‐commerce.Originality/valueThis study opens new perspectives in e‐trust research by exploring the role of consumers' personal values in e‐trust building process. The study also provides new insights for other researchers to develop understanding on mechanisms that consumers use to build e‐trust.

Flanders Corp, USA

This paper addresses the materiality of computer-mediated retailing. The paper uncovers the “hidden geography” of e-commerce, considering how the seemingly simple act of doorstep food delivery is explicated in urban form, and in transportation and communication infrastructures. The paper categorises electronic grocery shopping (EGS) enterprises into three types: “bricks and clicks”, “pure-play” and the “infomediary”, and examines how each type of operation has been materialised in the urban landscape, and the infrastructure upon which each draws. The paper then considers the strategies EGS operations have used to offset the “killer costs” of logistics for electronic commerce. The paper concludes by considering how electronic grocery shopping is embedded within broader trends in consumer behaviour, and how these trends are manifested in the materiality of urban life. The paper argues that online grocers are in the vanguard of ventures habituating customers to the remote ordering and delayed delivery of products to the home. Through controlling this “last mile”, online retailers hope to extend the product offer to higher-margin and more problematic products, which are in themselves unprofitable to distribute direct to the customer, but which can be profitably combined with a grocery shop.

Creating customer value in online grocery shopping

This paper argues that there are four different ways in which customer value can be created in electronic grocery shopping, but that the chosen business model will set limits to whether – and to what extent – the firm will be able to offer value‐adding services for consumers. The relationship between business models and customer value in online grocery shopping is exemplified, and some practical problems and opportunities in e‐grocering are highlighted by presenting the case of Nettimarket.com, a Finnish Internet grocery business that was founded by an entrepreneur with no previous experience of the industry. His company is a start‐up virtual grocery shop with a business model unattainable by the big industry players. The paper reports on the experiences of the company and the outlook of the entrepreneur after two and three years in business, respectively.

Effects of E‐Commerce on Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Case Study of Grocery Home Delivery in Finland

SummaryIn this article, we present a literature review of the general and environmental effects of e‐commerce in various parts of the demand‐supply chain. These are further translated into effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the food production and consumption system. The literature study revealed many opportunities for e‐commerce to reduce GHG emissions in the food production and consumption system. Some possibly negative effects were also identified. Electronic grocery shopping (e‐grocery) home delivery service was chosen as the subject of a case study because of its direct and indirect potential for reducing the GHG emissions in the food production and consumption system.GHG emission reduction potential through the implementation of various e‐grocery home delivery strategies was quantified. Depending on the home delivery model used, it is possible to reduce the GHG emissions generated by grocery shopping by 18% to 87% compared with the situation in which household members go to the store themselves. We estimate that the maximum theoretical potential of e‐grocery home delivery service for reducing the GHG emissions of Finland is roughly 0.3% to 1.3%; however, the current and estimated future market potential is much smaller, because the estimated market share of e‐grocery services is only 10% by 2005. Narrowing the gap between the theoretical and the actual potential requires a model that would simultaneously provide additional value to the consumer and be profitable to companies. To be able to achieve significant reductions in GHG emissions, system‐level innovations and changes are required. Further research is needed before conclusions can be reached as to whether e‐commerce and e‐grocery are useful tools in that respect.

Physical distribution considerations for electronic grocery shopping

Electronic grocery shopping (EGS) with direct home delivery is gradually becoming an option for busy families. The early EGS operators offer service built on top of the traditional grocery shop and the Internet is only used as a communication tool to transmit the customer order. To become a viable option for consumers the EGS has to be supported by a completely new logistics structure in which the Internet is used to connect all parties in the supply chain to the same real time information. As a result, the supply chain, all the way from the supplier to the household, needs to be redesigned. In the USA, dedicated EGS companies have entered the marketplace with investors backing them up. Huge losses are experienced in the battle against the traditional players. In smaller markets the funds needed for this kind of action are not easy to generate. Describes an evolutionary model for traditional grocery traders to start EGS gradually, mainly based on investments already made. Studies, in detail, the cost structure of some essential elements of the new supply chain and presents the initial results.

Critical factors in electronic grocery shopping

Critical factors in electronic grocery shopping

Critical factors in electronic grocery shopping

Critical factors in electronic grocery shopping

Possible determinants of consumers’ adoption of electronic grocery shopping in the Netherlands

This study examines (1) the relationship between the (dis) advantages of electronic grocery shopping, in comparison to traditional in-store shopping, and consumers’ perception of the innovation characteristics (i.e., relative advantage, compatibility and complexity) of electronic grocery shopping, and (2) the relationship between consumers’ perception of these characteristics and their intention to adopt electronic grocery shopping. These relationships are examined using a sample of 415 households in the Netherlands. The results indicate that the advantages and disadvantages of physical efforts and time pressure related to traditional in-store shopping positively influence consumers’ perception of the characteristics of electronic grocery shopping. The results further show that consumers’ perception of the relative advantage and compatibility of electronic grocery shopping positively influence their intention to adopt electronic grocery shopping. Consumers’ perception of the complexity of electronic grocery shopping negatively influences their intention to adopt electronic grocery shopping. It is also explored whether income, education and age moderate these relationships.

Identifying the success factors in e‐grocery home delivery

Efforts in the electronic grocery shopping, i.e. e‐grocery business, focus especially on the physical distribution of the goods. For example, in the USA there are several e‐grocery service providers with various operating concepts and offering various service levels. The home delivery concept of Streamline is based on a reception box at the customer’s garage or home yard enabling unmanned reception. In contrast, WebVan has launched a home delivery concept where the customer can select a convenient half an hour delivery time window. Various service concepts have been implemented and offered, but has anyone really analysed the differences in cost structures of these two and of other concepts in between the two extremes? Investigates existing home delivery service concepts from different angles and presents concrete simulation results of various parameters representing several home delivery service levels. Eventually, identifying the parameters will give guidelines for the future development of the e‐grocery home delivery services.

Critical factors in electronic grocery shopping

The typical customers in an electronic grocery store (EGS) in Finland are wealthy dual-career families with small children, who live around large cities. Their expected benefits, reduced time and effort, are at least fairly well met by the existing EGSs. When comparing the users and the non-users of EGSs in our data, we find that in addition to the evidently important size of the household, the critical issues are threefold, and related to: the primary reason to choose an electronic channel over a traditional one; consumer preferences between lower price-level and better service; and information needs of the customers.

Entrepreneurial Opportunities Created by Electronic Grocery Shopping

Current trading of daily consumer goods, groceries, is based on large chain masters as co-ordinators and extensive use of small companies as subcontractors, stores as customer front-ends and self-service as means for picking-up and home delivery of the goods. Our research aims at sketching what will be their role in the age of Internet storefronts and seamlessly interlinked information system. We use task analysis to reveal the areas of opportunities created for entrepreneurs by changing industry operations and structure. The analysis is based on literature on entrepreneurs, explorative survey on EGSs (Electronic Grocery Shops) around the world on the Internet, and on the experiences of the first Finnish EGSs. The analysis implies that the current subcontracting entrepreneurs will need to develop new skills in the evolving electronic market place. This provides opportunities for both high-tech small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing and maintaining storefronts, and third party logistics se...

Analysis of Expectations of Electronic Grocery Shopping for Potential Customer Segments

The special nature of groceries, especially perishables, challenges the possibilities of digital channels i.e. computers and networks to improve customer service. We report the findings of theme interviews on the potential of electronic commerce (EC) of groceries with 33 experts of grocery industry and EC, most of them senior executives, in 23 organisations in Finland during the Autumn of 1997. The specific areas of interest in the study are the predicted volume of EC in grocery shopping, the most potential customer segments, the anticipated benefits of EC to customers, and supplier strategies and infrastructure alternatives. Benefits of ECS (electronic grocery shopping) are analysed for three selected potential customer groups in terms of phases in consumer buying process as well as two different infrastructure solutions. It seems that an EGS build on top of current grocery industry infrastructure can only satisfy one major consumer group. In order to gain momentum EGS needs a dedicated infrastructure within which logistic efficiency can be increased.