Shopping Frequency Research Articles

Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Educational Events Are Broadly Accepted and May Increase Knowledge, Self-Efficacy and Behavioral Intentions

The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) in the U.S. provides coupons for the purchase of fruit and vegetables (FV) to pregnant women and children enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and to income-eligible adults 60+ years of age. The New York State FMNP Education Event Guide was developed to support cooperative extension educators in providing information, food tastings, and cooking demonstrations at farmers’ markets (FM) to encourage consumption of FV. This paper describes implementation at seven FM in New York City, and shopping and eating behaviors in a cross-sectional survey of FM shoppers (n = 377). Three of nine lessons were implemented more than once, typically with food sampling (78.9%). FM shoppers were primarily women (81.5%), racially diverse (30.5% Black, 23.1% White), frequent shoppers (2.4 times/month), and had high FV consumption (2.24 cups fruit; 2.44 cups vegetables daily). Most FM shoppers participated in the FM education event (84%), and participants and non-participants had equivalent shopping and eating behaviors. More than 70% of FM education participants believed that the event positively impacted their knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions. FMNP education events at FM were broadly accepted by FM shoppers of all characteristics, and may improve knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention.

Victimisation and the Fear of Cybercrime during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience of Undergraduate Students in Kenya

The victimisation model in the context of cyberspace suggests that previous cybercrime victimisation results in fear of cybercrime. Previous researchers have found mixed results in their findings. The current study uses five prevalent cybercrimes in Kenya, namely, impersonation, cyberbullying, online fraud, phishing, and computer virus, to establish the nature of the relationship between victimisation and the fear of cybercrime. A convenient sample of 55 university students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in criminology at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology was used. Findings indicated that those who have experienced cyberbullying and impersonation and those who spend much time on social media are more fearful of cyberbullying. Moreover, those who have experienced online fraud and those who are less frequent shoppers are more fearful of online fraud, while those who have experienced phishing and those who receive a high number of spam emails are more fearful of hacking when opening links embedded in emails. Finally, those who have experienced computer viruses, as well as those who complete zero downloads per day, are more fearful of computer viruses. High internet usage, experiences of online fraud and phishing attacks and attempts which are positively related to fear of cyberbullying, can be attributed to COVID-19 times when most Kenyans were vulnerable and not working.

Mobile shoppers' response to Covid-19 phobia, pessimism and smartphone addiction: Does social influence matter?

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a variety of changes identified in customers' shopping behaviours, and development of new practices as a response to the crisis. The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of Covid-19 phobia, and news exposure on individuals' psychological states, and their resulting mobile shopping behaviour. Relying upon the Activate, Belief and Consequences (ABC) model of the Cognitive-Behaviour Theory, this research applies the partial least square structural modelling (PLS-SEM) methodology for analysing the data from 302 mobile shoppers from India. The results confirm that Covid-19 phobia and Covid-19 news exposure are substantial determinants of consumers' smartphone addictive use and pessimism, which in turn affect mobile shopping frequency. Additionally, social influence is found to play a vital role in moderating mobile shopping frequency for individuals, who experience smartphone addiction. The current study is a pioneering effort to examine the influence of Covid-19-induced phobia on consumers' psychological states and their subsequent impact on their mobile shopping frequency. The study provides several contributions to theory and practice within the areas of technology use and mobile shopping in particular.

Cultural differences in the perception of credible online reviews – The influence of presentation format

As recently several authors postulated the need to examine the credibility of online reviews (ORs) in an intercultural context, we investigate this issue by building upon different theoretical frameworks and upon insights gained from an eye-tracking pre-study. Herein, the study is the first to explore ORs' credibility in an intercultural comparison. Moreover, no other study has shed light on the effect of OR's presentation format by incorporating cross-national perspectives yet. Applying a (2 × 2) between subjects experiment design, the results indicate that video reviews are able to only slightly increase arguments' quality effect on review credibility compared to textual reviews. However, differences occurred based on nationality, gender, and online shopping frequency. Furthermore, intercultural differences were detected between the effects of review consistency on review credibility, of review rating on review credibility, and of review credibility on purchase intention.

Food Security and the COVID-19 Crisis from a Consumer Buying Behaviour Perspective-The Case of Bangladesh.

Since COVID-19 was confirmed in Bangladesh in March 2020, the government have enacted stringent measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which has had a significant impact on people’s lives. Food consumption habits of consumers have shifted as a result of declining grocery shopping frequency, negative income shock, and food prices shooting up. This paper aims to explore Bangladeshi consumers’ buying behaviour in association with the stress generated from a food supply shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-outbreak perception of the food industry, using a dataset with 540 online samples collected between July and August 2021. A two-stage cluster sampling method and self-administrated questionnaire techniques were adopted for collecting the data during the third wave of COVID-19. Using partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM) and multivariate multiple ordered logit regression (MVORD) to reveal the pertinent structure between all the blocks, this study provides two key findings. First, a higher intensity of COVID-19 impact translates into higher food stress associated with income reduction and higher food prices. Second, food stress directly affects consumer buying and consumption behaviour. We strongly recommend connecting consumers with local producers and collective use of shared warehouses through institutions, policies, and reforms to prevent disruption in the food supply chain and to keep food prices stable. Additionally, food producers, distributors, stakeholders, and policy planners should strengthen the food supply chain to stabilize food security.

Consumer Sustainable Shopping Practices for Small Business during COVID-19

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors that attract consumers to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist with small businesses. Factors of interest included emotional (positive and negative) and cognitive experiences (resilience, optimism) during the pandemic and demographic characteristics (gender, generation, education, income, and employment status). Using a convenience survey sample in U.S. (N = 315), this study found that positive and negative emotions, active resilience, and demographic characteristics (generation, education, income, and employment status) can explain consumer shopping frequency and number of services used with small businesses during a pandemic. Small businesses may seek to trigger active resilience and emotions (negative and positive) in their marketing/advertising avenues to attract consumers’ sustainable consumption practices and may consider pivoting to attract particular consumer segments that are more likely to lend favorable actions toward sustainable consumption.

What is your shopping travel style? Heterogeneity in US households’ online shopping and travel

Although online shopping has been shown to interact with travel behavior in several ways, most studies to date focused on individual-level behavior in non-representative, geographically limited samples, making it difficult to derive clear profiles of shoppers. Using the 2017 US National Household Travel Survey, which included information on online shopping frequency, we estimated a latent class model to identify different shopper types (classes) that exhibited distinct travel and online shopping behavior. We found four classes: time-pressured shoppers, dual-channel shoppers, traditional shoppers, and infrequent shoppers and travelers, that differed in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and stages of life. Our results suggest that this heterogeneity may extend to the effects of online shopping on shopping travel, for instance, with substitution effects being dominant for one class whereas complementarity effects may be dominant for another. These findings can inform the design of tailored policies to mitigate the sustainability impacts of online shopping while also addressing the various classes’ needs. Further research is needed to untangle the complex relationships between online shopping and travel behavior, especially considering this heterogeneity and the modification effect.

Factors Affecting the Frequency of Online Shopping of Millennials and Post-Millennials

The paper focuses on the identification and specification of the Y and Z Generation online consumer behaviour and analysis of factors affecting the frequency of online shopping young Slovak consumers. The aim of this paper is to identify the factors affecting the frequency of online shopping of Millennials and Post-Millennials consumers. Within this issue, the attention is focused on the impact of individual characteristics of respondents, their online consumer attributes; their attitudes towards online shopping; financial risk perception; the impact and perception of promotion on their purchasing decisions; perception of the importance of guaranteeing risk-free online shopping; product range offer; and individual characteristics of an e-shops. The results of the research of general consumer attributes revealed statistically significant intergenerational and intergeneric differences. Keywords: Millennials, Post-Millennials, frequency of online shopping, e-commerce

Show Me the Money: The Economic Impact of Membership-Based Free Shipping Programs on E-Tailers

This research examines the economic impact of membership-based free-shipping (MFS) programs when introduced as an augmentation to widely accepted contingent free-shipping (CFS) policies. Under CFS, consumers waive the shipping surcharge if the order exceeds a certain threshold, whereas under MFS, consumers pay an upfront fee and enjoy the free-shipping perk throughout the membership period. We develop a stylized model that considers consumer heterogeneity in two dimensions: (1) disutility from acquiring an auxiliary product—a product that consumers would not otherwise purchase—to qualify for CFS; and (2) shopping frequency over a given period. Our analysis suggests that the introduction of MFS allows the e-tailer to segment the market further, which could lead to a higher product price. When the disutility from acquiring an auxiliary product is moderate, the e-tailer should charge a high membership fee to target only frequent shoppers who forgo CFS. However, the e-tailer should lower the fee to lure also (1) frequent shoppers who would otherwise take CFS, when the disutility is high; or (2) infrequent shoppers who would otherwise forgo CFS, when the disutility is low. In all cases, although the collected fee revenue can never compensate for the cost arising from offering the free-shipping perk, the loss can be recouped as a desirable outcome of a more segmented market. Our research generates insights into the optimal design of e-tailers’ shipping policies, shedding light on the practical challenges that confront e-tailers.

Do e-shopping attitudes mediate the effect of the built environment on online shopping frequency of e-shoppers?

It is widely acknowledged that e-shopping has considerable effects on e-shoppers’ travel behavior. Therefore, it is valuable to investigate the built environment effects on online shopping, which can help clarify whether land use policy is effective to manage online shopping and further moderate travel demand. However, this issue has not been fully investigated in prior research. In particular, some existing studies fail to identify a significant link between the built environment and online shopping. One of the possible reasons is that the indirect effects of the built environment on e-shopping through e-shopping attitudes are rarely considered. Against this backdrop, considering the mediating role of e-shopping attitudes, this paper aims to explore the influence of the built environment on the frequency of e-shopping for clothes and shoes, food and drinks, cosmetics, and electronics. Data used in this study are acquired from 675 face-to-face interviews with online buyers in Chengdu, China, and the Structural Equation Modeling method is employed. The outcomes show that higher residential density has a positive impact on online shopping frequency. Higher accessibility to metro stations has an indirect and negative influence on e-shopping frequency through pro-e-shopping attitudes. In contrast, mediated by e-shopping attitudes, higher accessibility to bus stations has an indirect and positive impact on online shopping frequency. The mediating role of attitudes provides a possible explanation for the influences of transportation accessibility on e-shopping frequency. Land use policies seem influential in online shopping attitudes and frequency, and thus moderate e-shoppers’ travel demand.

Covid-19 outbreak and household food waste: Evidence from Turkey

This study aims to examine changes in food-related behaviours that occur in Turkish households due to the Covid-19 outbreak and their effect on food waste amounts. An online survey was conducted and the survey included questions about socio-demographic characteristics, food purchasing, preparation, cooking behaviour, and food waste. This study included 610 respondents. 33.9% of the participants stated that there was a decrease in the amount of food waste during the pandemic period. More than half (52.2%) of those who think that there is a decrease in the amount of food waste stated that the amount of waste decreased because the food was consumed without forgetting/spoiling due to the increase in the time spent at home. Also, a relationship was found between changes in some food-related behaviours (frequency of food shopping, preparing/cooking, the characteristic of the food purchased, the person who prepares/cooks the meal, the time spent in the kitchen, the number of meals, trying new recipes, making bread at home, ordering to home and eating out) and changes in food waste. It has been observed that the changes experienced affect the reduction of food waste. In conclusion, the necessary initiatives should be taken to make permanent the positive changes caused by Covid-19 in food-related behaviour.

Act locally? Are female online shoppers willing to pay to reduce the carbon footprint of last mile deliveries?

E-commerce results in more last mile deliveries, increased freight traffic and potentially also higher CO2- emissions. This paper is a novel contribution to the literature in terms of investigating consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for climate-friendly last mile deliveries through reduced or no CO2-emissions from the delivery. 460 females between 18 and 70 years of age responded to an internet panel survey about their stated preferences for last mile delivery options for online clothing rentals. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was performed and the data analyzed using both multinomial logit (MNL) and mixed multinomial logit (MMNL) models. The results show that females are willing to pay for CO2-mitigation, and that their WTP increases with consumer income, employment, willingness to change habits to solve the environmental challenges of today, and preferences for sustainable online shopping and delivery alternatives, but decreases with the frequency of online shopping. The WTP for 1 kg CO2 exceeds the WTP for any other aspects of the last mile delivery; i.e. delivery time, delays and information services (notification of departure and arrival). The results indicate that freight operators (carriers) and online retailers can transfer (some of) the costs of climate-friendly last mile delivery to their customers. This is important knowledge for urban planners as it provides support for CO2-mitigating measures aimed at last mile delivery services in order to achieve more environmentally sustainable urban freight transport.

More Frequent Food Shopping May Promote Fruit and Vegetable Intake: A Systematic Review

BackgroundFood shopping frequency may be an important modifiable factor related to increasing fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. Because of mixed findings of individual studies of shopping frequency, a systematic review is needed to examine findings across studies and store types. ObjectiveTo conduct a systematic review of articles examining the relationship between frequency of food shopping and FV intake including examination of participation in federal nutrition assistance programs on FV intake, if reported. MethodsA search, guided by the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Metanalyses, using terms related to FV consumption and food shopping across 4 online databases, was conducted. Studies conducted in the US and published through October, 2020, included adults, and had a cross-sectional, longitudinal, cohort, or randomized study design were eligible for inclusion. ResultsTwenty-four articles were included. The majority of studies found at least 1 positive finding between the frequency of food shopping and FV intake, indicating that as the frequency of food shopping increased, FV intake increased. In studies with 100% participation in government/federal nutrition assistance programs, participation was associated with FV intake. Studies that included participation as a subset found participation not associated with FV intake. Implications for Future Research and PracticeThe frequency of shopping may be modifiable to increase FV intake. Experimental research is needed to test the directionality and causality of the relationship. Federal nutrition assistance programs may be a logical place to test the relationship through the adjustment of fund disbursements.

Comparative analysis of online fresh food shopping behavior during normal and COVID-19 crisis periods

PurposeOnline fresh food shopping has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. Online fresh food shopping provides consumers with an alternative to shopping in a traditional market, while also enabling procurement of such goods at a reduced risk of infection. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether online fresh food shopping behaviors change during public health emergency periods.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through a web-based survey (508 respondents in China). Descriptive analysis, ordinal logistic regression analysis, and the Apriori algorithm were employed to explore what characteristics influence purchase frequency as well as food and delivery time preferences among different customer groups.FindingsBased on the survey data, this study found that purchase frequency grew 71.2% during the COVID-19 crisis. City type and online shopping frequency of respondents are positively correlated with purchase frequency in normal and COVID-19 crisis periods. Number of daily hours worked by respondents only showed a significant impact for the normal period. People perceiving the risk of infection from going out are more willing to purchase fresh food online.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore and compare online fresh food shopping behaviors during normal and COVID-19 crisis periods with a sample from China. The findings indicate a key role that online fresh food shopping can perform during a crisis and contribute to our understanding of fresh food online shopping behaviors during other possible public health emergency scenarios.

Food Behavior Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Statistical Analysis of Consumer Survey Data from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing quarantine and other social distancing measures. These measures, however, have mental, social, and economic consequences on diet and food behaviors. The Bosnian case is particularly pertinent since the country has one of the highest global mortality rates relative to its population. In addition, its health system is fragmented and under-resourced. Consequently, in this study, we analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Bosnians’ behaviors relating to food. It is based on an online survey performed during October–November 2020 with 3133 adult respondents. The statistical analysis encompassed descriptive statistics (means, percentages, and frequencies), as well as cluster analysis. The results reveal that the pandemic transformed consumers’ shopping behaviors and food sourcing, reducing shopping frequency and increasing food bought on each trip. Furthermore, there was an increase in the consumption of local food items due to food safety concerns. Additionally, the pandemic improved the awareness of Bosnians towards food with a decrease in food waste. Regarding diets, Bosnians tried to have healthier diets during the pandemic. Therefore, COVID-19 might have opened a ‘window of opportunity’ to promote the shift towards more sustainable food consumption and lifestyles.

US Consumers’ Online Shopping Behaviors and Intentions During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

AbstractA study of 1,558 US households in June 2020 evaluated utilization of online grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, influences on utilization, and plans for future online grocery shopping. Nearly 55 percent of respondents shopped online in June 2020; 20 percent were first-timers. Cragg model estimates showed influences on online shopping likelihood and frequency included demographics, employment, and prior online shopping. Illness concerns increased likelihood, while food shortage concerns increased frequency of online shopping. A multinomial probit suggested 58 percent respondents planned to continue online grocery shopping regardless of pandemic conditions.

Shopping online for children: Is safety a consideration?

Introduction: There has been a significant increase in online purchasing and product safety problems have been identified in e-commerce. This study examines consumer behavior and safety perceptions among parents purchasing child products online. Method: A mixed methods approach, including focus groups and a survey with parents, identified key characteristics and behaviors. Cluster analysis was used to determine different population segments (including “Informed,” “Uninformed,” and “Infrequent” consumer groups) based on their frequency of online shopping and search for product information. “Safe” and “Unsafe” behavior groups were identified related to their search for safety information on child products. Logistic regression analysis was used to study the effects of consumer type groups and demographic variables on the chances of being a safer consumer. Results: Findings indicate that child product safety considerations are not a priority for parents when shopping online. Only 62% of the survey respondents indicated that they search for information prior to buying a child product online, of which only 13% of the respondents noted that they search for information on product safety. Risky consumer behaviors were identified including the purchase of imitation products (counterfeit or knockoff products) and autonomous checks for product safety in lieu of safety standards. The logistic regression analysis found that being an “Uninformed Consumer” increases the odds of an individual being an “Unsafe Consumer” by 8.4 times (χ2(11) = 97.33, p < .001). Practical Applications: Design of a social marketing campaign that targets these different population segments to change perceptions and promote safe online purchasing is recommended.

Food Shopping Frequency of Rural Tennessee Adults With Comparisons by Federal Nutrition Assistance Participation

ObjectiveTo describe food shopping frequency across 7 store types in a rural context and compare food shopping frequency between federal nutrition assistance recipients and nonrecipients. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted at county fairs in rural Tennessee. ResultsReported overall mean food shopping frequency was 18.4 (SD, 13.9) times in the past 30 days. A mean of 3.1 (SD, 1.2) store types were visited, with supermarkets, convenience stores, and dollar stores the most frequented stores. Federal nutrition assistance program recipients shopped significantly less frequently than nonrecipients for overall shopping frequency (P = 0.02), supermarkets (P = 0.02), and farmers’ markets (P = 0.04). Conclusions and ImplicationsEducating and counseling individuals on how food shopping frequency may promote nutrition and health may be important. Federal nutrition assistance programs that distribute benefits monthly may impact food shopping frequency.

Compulsive and compensative buying among online shoppers: An empirical study.

The present study examines the phenomenon of compensative and compulsive buying among online shoppers. Firstly, the obtained empirical data make it possible to estimate the prevalence of compensative and compulsive buying among the general population of Poles aged 15 years old and over, with the sample split into users and non-users of the e-commerce market offer. Secondly, the conducted analysis shows to what extent the prevalence of compulsive and compensative buying is differentiated by the frequency of online shopping, by the extent of the expenditures on online shopping compared with offline shopping, by attitudes towards online shopping, and by sociodemographic conditions (gender, age, monthly net income of household). The findings come from a survey conducted in 2019 based on a nationwide statistically representative sample of 1,000 Poles aged 15 years old and over. Drawing on this survey based on the German Compulsive Buying Indicator (GCBI), the prevalence of compulsive buying is observed at about 3% and compensative buying at about 12%. Dividing the general population into online and offline shoppers, one can see serious differences between both target groups; the share of compulsive and compensative buyers in the segment of online shoppers amounts to 3.6% and 16.9%, while among non-online shoppers- 3.3% and 10.1%. The strongest susceptibility to compulsive buying is characteristic of female online shoppers having very positive attitudes towards online shopping and doing online shopping very frequently.

Risk perception and resource scarcity in food procurement during the early outbreak of COVID-19

ObjectivesThe retail food industry, a major essential business, is among the very few thriving sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, such prosperity on the store side does not guarantee a sufficient food supply for all populations. This study aims to understand if people's risk perception and food security status shaped their food procurement behaviors during the early outbreak of the pandemic. Study designExtended from the theory of risk perception, food consumers may behave differently during a disastrous event in terms of store patronization. The study evaluates how food procurement behaviors are affected by perceived risk aversion, resource scarcity, and consumers’ food security status. MethodsThe study examines how people with different food security statuses made grocery shopping decisions at the risk of epidemic exposure based on a nationwide survey of 2590 participants in the U.S. during the early break of the pandemic in April 2020. The study uses a moderated mediation analysis on in-store shopping frequency and food expenditure. ResultsPeople having a food-secure status before the pandemic spent significantly more as a result of the reduced shopping frequency (i.e., the secure-insecure subgroup β = −0.18, P < .01; the secure-secure subgroup β = −0.35, P < .01). The increase in food expenditure was insignificant for people who were food-insecure before the pandemic (i.e., the insecure-insecure subgroup, β = −0.01, P > .05; the insecure-secure subgroup, β = −0.11, P > .05). ConclusionsThe study reports that in general people reduced the frequency of grocery shopping trips to avoid epidemic exposure while increasing the food expenditure per trip. The increase in food expenditure was not statistically significant among the food-insecure populations likely due to their budget constraints.