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The impact of online grocery shopping on stockpile behavior in Covid-19

Author

Listed:
  • Na Hao
  • H. Holly Wang
  • Qingjie Zhou

Abstract

Purpose - This research is to examine the impact of online channels on food stockpile behavior. Design/methodology/approach - In this study, we use bivariate probit models to empirically investigate the impact of online purchasing channels on Chinese urban consumer food hoarding behaviors with random survey samples. Findings - Results show that fresh food e-commerce channels are more likely to be associated with panic stockpile behaviors due to higher likelihood of supply shortages than offline channels with government assistance in logistic management. In contrast, community group buy, another format of e-commerce, appears superior in satisfying the consumer needs and easing the panic buying perception. Practical implications - It suggests that online channels may have diverse impacts on consumers' panic stockpiling behaviors during the extreme situations. Online channels need to develop efficient supply chains to be more resilient to extreme situations and the government shall recognize the increasing share of the online channels together with traditional offline channels when implementing supporting policies. Social implications - With ever increasing share of online channels, it is imperative in terms of policy implications to understand how would online channels affect hoarding behavior. Originality/value - We are the first study in online shopping's impact on food stockpile during pandemics using a random sample. Although food stockpile behavior at times of emergency have been investigated in many literature, there are no empirical studies on the impact of online channels on stockpile behaviors under extreme situations. Unlike disasters that immediately impact every entity in supply chains covering producers, vendors, distribution centers and retailers, pandemics did not render supply chains affected immediately, but rather increase consumers' willingness to shop online to avoid virus. Thus, Covid-19 provides a natural experiment to investigate the online channels' impact on stockpile behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Na Hao & H. Holly Wang & Qingjie Zhou, 2020. "The impact of online grocery shopping on stockpile behavior in Covid-19," China Agricultural Economic Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(3), pages 459-470, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:caerpp:caer-04-2020-0064
    DOI: 10.1108/CAER-04-2020-0064
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    Citations

    RePEc Biblio mentions

    As found on the RePEc Biblio, the curated bibliography for Economics:
    1. > Economics of Welfare > Health Economics > Economics of Pandemics > Specific pandemics > Covid-19 > Economic consequences > Consumption > Hoarding

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Fu, Xin & Qiang, Yongjie & Liu, Xuxu & Jiang, Ying & Cui, Zhiwei & Zhang, Deyu & Wang, Jianwei, 2022. "Will multi-industry supply chains' resilience under the impact of COVID-19 pandemic be different? A perspective from China's highway freight transport," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 165-178.
    2. Jelena Končar & Radenko Marić & Goran Vukmirović & Sonja Vučenović, 2021. "Sustainability of Food Placement in Retailing during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, May.
    3. Cruz-Cárdenas, Jorge & Zabelina, Ekaterina & Guadalupe-Lanas, Jorge & Palacio-Fierro, Andrés & Ramos-Galarza, Carlos, 2021. "COVID-19, consumer behavior, technology, and society: A literature review and bibliometric analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    4. Wanglin Ma & Puneet Vatsa & Hongyun Zheng & Yanzhi Guo, 2022. "Does online food shopping boost dietary diversity? Application of an endogenous switching model with a count outcome variable," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-19, December.
    5. Lual Daniel kur & Niu Xiongying & Chol Gabriel Majer & Thomas Gatluak Reat & Majak Michael Chol, 2021. "Online Shopping Behaviors during Covid-19 Pandemic and Expected Future Trends," International Journal of Science and Business, IJSAB International, vol. 5(9), pages 165-180.
    6. Yang, Wei & Vatsa, Puneet & Ma, Wanglin & Zheng, Hongyun, 2023. "Does mobile payment adoption really increase online shopping expenditure in China: A gender-differential analysis," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 99-110.
    7. Patrick Brandtner & Farzaneh Darbanian & Taha Falatouri & Chibuzor Udokwu, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 on the Customer End of Retail Supply Chains: A Big Data Analysis of Consumer Satisfaction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, January.
    8. Jose Holguin-Veras & Diana Ramirez-Rios & Juvena Ng & Jeffrey Wojtowicz & Daniel Haake & Catherine T. Lawson & Oriana Calderón & Benjamin Caron & Cara Wang, 2021. "Freight-Efficient Land Uses: Methodology, Strategies, and Tools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-24, March.
    9. Liu, Qiyang & Liu, Zhengying & Kang, Tingting & Zhu, Le & Zhao, Pengjun, 2022. "Transport inequities through the lens of environmental racism: Rural-urban migrants under Covid-19," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 26-38.
    10. Katarina Valaskova & Pavol Durana & Peter Adamko, 2021. "Changes in Consumers’ Purchase Patterns as a Consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(15), pages 1-17, July.
    11. Abderahman Rejeb & Karim Rejeb & Andrea Appolloni & Mohammad Iranmanesh & Horst Treiblmaier & Sandeep Jagtap, 2022. "Exploring Food Supply Chain Trends in the COVID-19 Era: A Bibliometric Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-33, September.
    12. Lin, Yuanfang & Pazgal, Amit, 2024. "Effects of information quantity and diversity on consumers under complex uncertainty," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    13. Szász, Levente & Bálint, Csaba & Csíki, Ottó & Nagy, Bálint Zsolt & Rácz, Béla-Gergely & Csala, Dénes & Harris, Lloyd C., 2022. "The impact of COVID-19 on the evolution of online retail: The pandemic as a window of opportunity," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    14. Na Hao & Yi Zhang & Huashu Wang & H. Holly Wang, 2022. "Which Consumer Perceptions Should Be Used in Food Waste Reduction Campaigns: Food Security, Food Safety or Environmental Concerns?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-11, February.
    15. Zhang, Dianfeng & Shen, Zifan & Li, Yanlai, 2023. "Requirement analysis and service optimization of multiple category fresh products in online retailing using importance-Kano analysis," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    16. Grace Chua & Kum Fai Yuen & Xueqin Wang & Yiik Diew Wong, 2021. "The Determinants of Panic Buying during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-28, March.
    17. Sarin Raju & T. M. Rofin & S. Pavan Kumar, 2024. "Pricing decisions during panic buying and its effect on a dual-channel supply chain under different channel power structures," Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(2), pages 83-95, April.
    18. Zaid Obeidat & Mohammad Ibrahim Obeidat, 2023. "A typology of Jordanian consumers after Covid‐19: The rational, the suspicious, and the cautious consumer," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 121-139, January.
    19. Kelly Cosgrove & Maricarmen Vizcaino & Christopher Wharton, 2021. "COVID-19-Related Changes in Perceived Household Food Waste in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-11, January.
    20. Yao, Xuan & Xu, Zeshui & Škare, Marinko & Wang, Xindi, 2024. "Aftermath on COVID-19 technological and socioeconomic changes: A meta-analytic review," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    21. Mostafa Ghodsi & Ali Ardestani & Arash Rasaizadi & Seyednaser Ghadamgahi & Hao Yang, 2021. "How COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Urban Trips? Structural Interpretive Model of Online Shopping and Passengers Trips during the Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-15, October.
    22. Budziński, Wiktor & Daziano, Ricardo, 2023. "Preferences for online grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic — the role of fear-related attitudes," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).

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