US Residents Self-Reported Use of and Beliefs About Online Grocery Shopping

Using data from a sample of residents targeted to be representative of the United States population and collected in 2019, this study examines whether the proportion of grocery shopping done online can be explained, in part, by household’s demographics and consumer’s beliefs. Thirty-one percent of respondents reported previous online shopping experience for groceries. The key demographics of these respondents that were associated with more online grocery expenditures are age, location, taking children to grocery shopping and having Amazon Prime subscription. Respondents who believed that online grocery shopping is more convenient, less expensive, fun, and has better food safety and service quality had higher online grocery expenditures. Given the rapid pace consumers transitioned to online grocery shopping in 2020 due to COVID-19, these results would be important for grocery retailers and policymakers who are attempting to promote or facilitate online grocery shopping