Grocery Shopping Research Articles

Review of the Lockdown Regulations’ Impact on Informal Businesses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown regulations caused enormous changes in all business sectors because many businesses were not allowed to operate. Only a few were regarded as essential businesses, such as pharmacies and grocery shops, and allowed to operate. Lockdown regulations negatively affected the South African informal sector. As a result, it is difficult to provide accurate statistics on the entrepreneurs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are no official statistics from the informal sector. This paper aims to examine how the informal sector was affected by the lockdown down restrictions within South Africa. The paper adopts a systematic review methodology using Google Scholar and Web of Science or Scopes to search for articles on informal entrepreneurship, COVID-19, and South Africa to draw a conclusion from the analysed data. The findings indicated that most of the businesses in the informal sector were negatively affected, including workers because some of them lost their jobs and others did not receive their usual salaries due to limited working hours. There were disruptions in the supply chain and pricing of goods and services, and people could not have sustained their income during the lockdown in South Africa. In conclusion, the informal sector is one of the most vulnerable sectors that lacks access to appropriate risk management structures, and most people live on a hand to mouth basis. COVID-19 has negatively affected the informal sector, mainly through distribution and marketing systems.

Inventory Management Techniques for Grocery Shops in Bangladesh: A Study on a Grocery Shop in Khulna City

The purpose of this study is to highlight or identify the inventory management strategies used by Bangladeshi grocery stores. Data was collected using the purposive sampling approach as part of a descriptive, survey, and quantitative investigation. Effective inventory management is a crucial part of each and every business enterprise to control the risk of overstock as well as stock-out. Both overstock and stock-out of the product are harmful to enterprises for optimizing revenue because overstock leads to wastage of product; on the other hand, stock-out leads to the loss of a regular and potential customer. For a grocery shop, the use of proper inventory management techniques is more important than for any other small enterprise because, usually, a grocery shop deals with more than 100 types of different products. Through the proper use of inventory management techniques, the possibility of overstocking and stock-outs in grocery shops may be reduced to a great extent. This paper presents effective inventory management techniques for grocery shops in Bangladesh based on a grocery shop in Khulna city named Babul Store, Khulna. There are a number of inventory control approaches that can be used to maintain appropriate inventory management. The objective of the study is to suggest some guidelines to the inventory manager so that they can easily avoid overstocking and stock problems and make all the necessary goods available in the right quantity at the right time. All the necessary data were collected from a grocery shop in Khulna city named Babul Store, Khulna. This study will suggest some guidelines that will help develop inventory management software for further analysis. Future scholars and Bangladeshi grocery store owners will undoubtedly benefit from this real-world example of how to manage and regulate inventory properly.

Abstract A013: Patterns of heterolocalism among Chinese immigrants in Philadelphia

Abstract Residence in an immigrant enclave has been linked to lower risk for some cancers but higher risk of late-stage diagnosis. In part, these patterns may be explained by the cultural, institutional, and social resources in immigrant enclaves that protect against ill health. Modern communication and transportation can facilitate “exposure” to immigrant enclaves as resource hubs, while individuals may reside in more racially integrated neighborhoods. This process of heterolocalism is underexplored in its relationship to cancer risk. The current study compares residents and non-residents of Chinese immigrant enclaves in Philadelphia with respect to distances traveled for various activities. Participants were 520 Chinese immigrant men and women aged 35-65 y. Interviews conducted 9/18-01/20 included questions on residence and usual locations of five types of activities: employment, grocery shopping, religious services, healthcare, and leisure. Participants were categorized as residing in a traditional (n=167), emerging (n=202), or non-enclave (n=151) neighborhood depending on the co-ethnic density of their census tract and adjacent tracts. We used ArcGIS to geocode participants’ residences and activity locations and conducted spatial analyses to examine distances traveled to these activities. Results indicated that residents of traditional enclaves stayed within or near their residential neighborhoods for grocery shopping, religious services, and leisure activities (median distances all <1 mi), although they traveled further for employment (median 2.5 mi) and healthcare (median 1.9 mi). Based on non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests, traditional enclave residents traveled the shortest median distances to all activities (all p<0.001). In contrast, non-enclave residents traveled the furthest for groceries (median 2.9 mi), religious services (median 8.2 mi), and leisure (median 3.2 mi) (all p<0.001). Mapped travel patterns indicate that many non-enclave residents travelled to enclave areas for these activities. Our findings suggest that heterolocalism is a means by which immigrants maintain co-ethnic connections. They also suggest the importance of understanding enclave ‘exposure’ beyond place of residence to clarify the relationships between immigrant enclaves and cancer outcomes. Citation Format: Ella Batterson, Marilyn Tseng, Emily C. Walton, Brian Egleston, Julia Zhong, Minzi Li, Carolyn Fang. Patterns of heterolocalism among Chinese immigrants in Philadelphia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A013.

Attitudes and behaviours of university students and workers towards ready-to-hear and eat products

The Goal of the Research was to find out how college students and working adults in Jaipur see and use ready-to-eat foods. Ninety-three people were chosen at random to fill out the survey's questions. The majority of respondents ate ready-to-eat (RTE) meals twice to four times a week, with the bulk of those meals being eaten at lunchtime (44%). The majority of respondents (46%) said that they bought ready-to-eat meals because it was more convenient. It should be noted that although 11.8 percent of respondents considered fast food outlets to be extremely safe, 34.4 percent considered eating on the street to be highly unsafe. While asked about their biggest concern while grocery shopping, 43% of respondents said they were afraid about viruses like Hepatitis B and E. coli that are carried by humans. Consumers were most worried about the cleanliness of the shop (66.7%) when they purchased ready-to-eat meals. The results of this survey demonstrated that college students and staff were concerned about the safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. Food marketers and public health organisations might both learn from this research, which could help them improve their methods of public education and information distribution.

Looking beyond the laboratory: Exploring behavioral and eye-fixation patterns in individuals with severe mental illness during a real-life supermarket task.

Individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMI) often have difficulty performing daily activities that require intact executive functions, such as grocery shopping. Performance-based evaluations are valuable but lack the subjects' viewpoints during task performance. This study aims to combine performance-based observation and cognitive science methods to provide insights regarding real-life behavior and problem-solving in populations with SMI. In this correlational-research study, 42 participants (10 in the SMI group and 32 in the control group) performed the Test of Grocery Shopping Skills (TOGSS) while wearing an eye-tracking device. We hypothesized that patterns in task planning, task-time use, and attention allocation to written information relevant to the task would differ between the groups during the task. The results showed between-group differences in both TOGSS efficiency outcomes (time and redundancy), duration, and number of fixations. An eye-tracking pattern analysis determined between-group differences in scanning patterns of the grocery list but similarities in task planning. The selection process was found to be significantly more accurate and efficient for the control group than for the SMI group. Our findings suggest that a combination of perspectives allows us to better understand the behavior of SMI individuals in a regular daily task.

Technology Acceptance Model in Online Grocery And Supermarket Shopping: A Research in Turkey

Technology Acceptance Model in Online Grocery And Supermarket Shopping: A Research in Turkey

What do regular online grocery shoppers want from online grocers going forward? Suggestions for service quality improvements

Online grocery shopping has become significantly more popular amid the Covid-19 pandemic. That said, the online grocery market in many European countries is still taking shape and further service developments are needed to meet consumers’ changing and increasing expectations. Based on an analysis of 412 regular online grocery shoppers’ suggestions for service quality improvements, eight categories of improvements were identified. Ranked according to the frequency by which they were mentioned, the top four categories were: (1) broad and specialized assortment, (2) delivery time and flexibility, (3) lower delivery costs and more pricing options, and (4) the user interface and search efficiency. The study contributes relevantly to a better understanding of what the online grocery retailers should prioritize in their service development to meet the changing expectations of a crucially important customer segment, the regular shoppers. Implications for online grocers and limitations of the study are discussed.

Crowdshopping: An Empirical Analysis of a Novel Concept for Grocery Shopping

Crowdshopping: An Empirical Analysis of a Novel Concept for Grocery Shopping

Determinants of consumer behaviour towards technology enabled grocery shopping in Noida

The development of the internet and the post-Covid epidemic have greatly boosted e-commerce. Retailers need to constantly improve their services to meet the enormous demand for online purchases while planning for an appropriate quantity and variety of groceries for the clients. The study investigates how Noida (India) residents’ e-grocery shopping is impacted by convenience, service quality, and social aspects. The study uses the snowball sampling technique (sample size: 220) to collect parameters using a Likert scale, and then evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that service quality has the greatest influence on e-grocery shopping habit, followed by convenience, while social component has no significant impact. The service quality also includes the need for regular updation of the website and application to enhance the experience of the web-user interface by exploring the need for data science and artificial intelligence.

Protecting Low-Income Consumers in the Era of Digital Grocery Shopping: Implications for WIC Online Ordering

Protecting Low-Income Consumers in the Era of Digital Grocery Shopping: Implications for WIC Online Ordering

A Study of the Relationship Between Performance and Motivation in Informal Trade (A Case of Grocery Shops in Selected Markets in Lusaka District of Zambia)

A Study of the Relationship Between Performance and Motivation in Informal Trade (A Case of Grocery Shops in Selected Markets in Lusaka District of Zambia)

A Systematic Review of Marketing Practices Used in Online Grocery Shopping: Implications for WIC Online Ordering

A Systematic Review of Marketing Practices Used in Online Grocery Shopping: Implications for WIC Online Ordering

Consumers' Acceptance of Online Grocery Shopping in a Pandemic Situation: An Extended Technology Acceptance Model Perspective

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.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on offline and online grocery shopping: New normal or old habits?

AbstractThe 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.

The 15-minute city for all? – Measuring individual and temporal variations in walking accessibility

Popular concepts in urban planning, like the 15-minute city, suggest that everyday services should be accessible to everyone within “walking distance”. However, walking distance is usually considered from the perspective of the average person, and little effort is made to understand the temporal (daily and seasonal) variation in walking accessibility. If our aim is to create inclusive cities, we also need to address the realities of vulnerable population groups.In this study, we analysed how walking accessibility landscapes vary temporally and between population groups particularly focusing on the diverse realities of older people. We hypothesised that the temporal variation, especially seasonal, disproportionately influences their range of mobility options. To test this, we first recorded walking speeds in Finland’s Helsinki Metropolitan Area during dry and winter season. We then created and compared accessibility landscapes between groups with different walking characteristics by integrating data on seasonal walking speeds, diurnal activity opening hours, and the (residential) locations of people.We showed that the diurnal variation has the largest effect on walking accessibility in the study area over seasonal and age-related variation when these variables are considered separately. Combined, these variations can explain reductions in accessibility that, in the worst-case scenario result in only 34% of the older population having 15-minute walking access to the closest grocery shop, compared to a baseline of 93%. However, the intra-group variation between population groups and road conditions remains large.The study highlights the importance of considering the variation in people’s walking abilities, road conditions and service network when modelling walking accessibility. This is particularly important for vulnerable population groups, such as older people, who often rely on running errands on foot and may have impaired mobility. The results support spatial planners to mitigate social and spatial inequalities and help them to promote environmentally sustainable transport.

Virtual Store Experience: Will it increase the intention to visit the physical store or make a purchase?

Covid-19 affected consumer behavior, especially in the first year. Expectations and consumer habits in grocery shopping are switched over. Government regulations limit our outside activities caused consumer demand for omnichannel shopping experience or online and offline shopping availability at once (Economist, 2021). A physical store is still an option for a multichannel company and will give a unique value to the brand (Bella, 2019). The consumer will be more pleased to evaluate online stores after having experience from a physical store (Baek, 2020). Physical stores and online stores are complementary (Fornari, 2016). To persuade the consumer to come to a physical store, many retail players have tried to implement a virtual tour experience since it enables the consumer to experience a certain store or place without having to visit it physically. The virtual tour uses a computer to present a virtual environment with 360degree media, online media, and virtual reality tech without the need to attend physically. As part of the brand experience, virtual tours influence brand equity and increase visit intention (Baek, 2020). Positive experience with store brands also influences purchase intention (Diallo, 2017). The higher the brand equity, the higher motivation, preference, and desire to purchase (Pappu, 2005).

XVII a. antrosios pusės – XVIII a. pomirtiniai turto inventoriai – Vilniaus miestiečių moterų kasdienybės istorijos šaltinis

Posthumous Property Inventories of the Second Half of the Seventeenth and the Eighteenth Century: A Historical Source on the Daily Life of the Women of Vilnius The article presents an analysis of the inventories of property that belonged to the women residing in Vilnius from 1658 to 1798: the reasons for their compilation, their patterns, the prevailing categories of property, and the issue of the reliability of these inventories. It also dwells upon on the participation of urban women in the economic life of the city: their engagement in small trade, possession of shops and craft workshops, and their involvement in the realisation of the manufactured commodities. Research found that inventories were most often compiled upon the death of the property owner (69%). However, there are inventories that were drawn up before death in order to avoid future disagreements among the heirs or to resolve an ongoing conflict. Two inventories were compiled due to illness or malaise, and one due to an unexpected departure from the city of Vilnius. In the second half of the seventeenth and in the eighteenth centuries, the so-called ‘German’ model of compiling inventories prevailed in Vilnius, when the inheritance left by the deceased was drawn by separate categories of items. Items of similar uses were grouped together with a focus on their qualities. As a rule, an inventory would start with records of the most valuable possessions of the deceased: money, jewellery, and silver and gold articles. These were followed by less valuable possessions: crockery, clothes, bedding, books, paintings, and the like. Descriptions of items are concise: they specified the raw materials, shapes, colours, the weight, indications of the level of wear and tear, and their monetary value. The accuracy of the inventory depended on numerous factors: the prevailing inventory-taking model and traditions, the circumstances of the compilation, the criteria for the selection of the items, the honesty of the relatives and the guardians of the estate, and the honesty of the inventory compilers – the clerks and elected assessors. The inventories of the women residing in the city of Vilnius are dominated by clothing (90%), linen, crockery, and furniture (73%), jewellery (60.4%), silver and gold articles (56.3%), money (46%), household appliances (44%), paintings, portraits, and mirrors (42%), collections of books (39.5%), documents (27.1%), immovable property (21%), clocks (21%), foodstuffs (21%), livestock (19%), and vehicles (14.6%). It was noted that the inventories of urban women often included descriptions of containers for sugar, tea, and coffee (33.3%), yarn and spinning wheels (21%), rosaries, prayer books, and crosses (21%). Shoes (23%), children’s clothing and cots (19%) were less frequently recorded. Soap, combs, butter churns, bread ovens, fans, etc. are very rare. The items listed in the inventories provide at least a partial picture of the daily round of the women of Vilnius and their way of life in the second half of the seventeenth and the eighteenth century. The study shows that women residing in Vilnius used to take care not only of their homes, households, and children. They were quite active in the economic life of the city. Sixteen (33.3%) of the inventories mention grocery, cloth, iron, haberdashery, and salt shops in their possession, while five contain information about the craft workshops they owned (bookbinding, goldsmithery, and tanning). Six inventories mention equipment for beer and vodka production, such as breweries, vats, and other vessels for brewing beer and distilling vodka, and describe the different types of beverages: beer, mead, vodka, and wine. Three women residing in Vilnius kept taverns where they sold the beverages they produced. Keywords: daily life, posthumous property inventories, townswomen of Vilnius, women, shops, craft workshops.

An SEM-Neural Network Approach for Predicting Antecedents of Online Grocery Shopping Acceptance

Customers today benefit from online grocery shopping (OGS) since it makes their lives easier and more pleasant. This study examines the extension of the technology adoption model with some new variables like visibility, economic values, habit, informativeness, and website trust and their influence on the intention to use online grocery shopping by Indian customers. A structured questionnaire was developed, and 342 responses were used for analysis. Two techniques were used: firstly, structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to determine which variables had a significant influence on the intention to use OGS; in the second phase, artificial neural network modelling (ANN) was used, under a deep learning approach, to classify the relative influence of the significant predictors obtained by PLS-SEM. The study’s findings suggest that the habit has the highest impact on users’ intention to use OGS, followed by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and website trust. On the other side, the results of neural network analysis confirmed many SEM findings. The study will help all online grocery service providers to build their services and strategies based on the tastes and needs of their customers.

Study on Awareness of Consumers about Transfats in Chandigarh

Background: Transfats also infamous as ugly fat is an unsaturated fat which is formed in industries by hydrogenation of monosaturated fat by thermal processing etc in order to make cheaper plant fat look like animal fat .Though we also have natural transfats which are formed by biotransformation in rumen of animal, they are not so dangerous for our health. Transfats is stated to increase level of LDL and decrease level of HDL thereby causing increase risk of cardiovascular diseases; it is also linked to obesity, dementia in many studies and is emerging as one of the major challenge to public health in 21st century. Various organizations like FSSAI has given guidelines on transfats, WHO has committed to remove industrially produced transfats by 2023. Objective: we conducted the study to understand consumer awareness about transfats.Methods: Study was conducted 15 different grocery shops, questions were asked via interview, schedules .Total N=362. Data was analyzed by comparing on basis of gender, educational level. Results: 60.8% of participants said they look for food label in packaged food , 74.3% were found aware about harmful effects of transfats , 30.4% said they are aware about fssai limit for transfats, Only 63.3% graduate & above , 33.3% above matriculation and 13.3 % below matriculation consumers said they look for food label. Conclusion: The study found out that many educated people also lack awareness about transfers and a very few percentage of people were found aware about fssai limit for transfats.

1290. A Structural Intervention Improves ID Fellow Wellness Amid a Pandemic

Abstract Background Infectious Disease (ID) physicians have historically had higher levels of burnout compared to other medical specialties. Fellows are not immune to the pressures that attendings experience in the course of clinical care. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education now requires programs to formally promote well-being amongst trainees. We created a structural intervention to improve fellow well-being and conducted a before-and-after study demonstrating effectiveness. Methods We restructured our institution’s inpatient ID clinical services, which increased attending presence on weekends and afternoons to help with clinical volume. A survey including the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Medical Personnel (MBI-HSS(MP)) and wellness metrics was completed by our 5 fellows before and after the intervention. Consult volume and efficiency were assessed before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics, paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were utilized as appropriate for data normality. Qualitative survey responses were coded into key domains until saturation was reached for analysis. Results Post-intervention MBI-HSS(MP) mean scores significantly improved for emotional exhaustion (EE) [3.3 to 2.3, p-value .0089]. Personal accomplishment and depersonalization metrics improved but were not significant. Survey items assessing time for education, learning to service balance, satisfaction and wellness all improved but were not significant (Table 1). Consult volume was the most frequent domain associated with dissatisfaction, and was described as the most improved domain since intervention (Table 2). Clinical work volumes were the same, if not higher, in the post intervention period (Table 3). All 5 fellows completed surveys before and after the intervention. The pre and post intervention means with standard errors (SE) or frequency of responses are listed in the table as well as p- values for Wilcoxon-signed rank or paired t-test (depending on normality of that variable). For “education versus service balance” fellows used a visual analogue scale (0-100) to assess their views of balance of education (lower values) to service (higher values) while on General Infectious Disease consults (GID). Fellows were asked to rate their “satisfaction” with GID on a visual analogue scale from 0-100 with lower values as dissatisfaction and higher values as satisfaction. EE, DP, and PA are metrics used in the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Medical Personnel (MBI-SS(MP)). The values of the MBI questions are mean responses across items in their respective inventories, with higher values for EE and DP meaning more frequent negative experiences, and higher values for PA meaning more frequent positive experiences. For MBI, scores indicate how frequently feelings occur: 1, a few times/year; 2, monthly; 3, a few times monthly; 4, weekly; 5, a few times/week. Fellows were also asked to give the frequency at which they were able to teach or complete responsibilities at home (such as childcare, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping) while on GID. Responses truncated only to frequencies selected by respondents. Responses to the last two questions were numerically coded for statistical analysis. * Indicates statistical significance (p < .05). Free text survey responses were analyzed by authors, resulting in the generation of key conceptual response domains; this process continued until saturation was reached, leading to the coding of text responses as above. Examples from text responses included in parenthesis. Prompt 1 was given to the 5 fellows before and after the intervention leading to 10 responses. Prompt 2 was given to the 5 fellows only following intervention. Variables were assessed pre and post intervention. Max list size is the maximum number of patients on the general infectious disease (GID) consult service, bumped consults is the number of consults not seen until the following work day, curbside consults is the number of consults where recommendations were given without seeing the patient, last rec is the time of delivery of the last recommendation, pages is the raw number of pages received in a day by the GID fellow and COVID-19 census is the total number of patients admitted to our center with COVID-19. *Indicates statistical significance (p < .05) by paired t-test. IQR signifies inter-quartile range. Conclusion We found that an intervention addressing structural contributors to burnout was effective in reducing EE and perception of clinical volume. This finding was significant despite stable to increased clinical volumes and the added stress of the cotemporaneous Omicron outbreak of COVID-19. Disclosures Aniruddha Hazra, MD, Gilead Sciences: Grant/Research Support.