Shopping for fresh food online during Covid-19 in Shanghai

Authors

  • Kim Janssens Open University of the Netherlands
  • Janjaap Semeijn Open University of The Netherlands, Maastricht University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29015/cerem.964

Keywords:

Theory of Planned Behavior, fresh food e-commerce, perceived risk, purchase intention, past experience, Covid-19

Abstract

Aim: The main goal is to examine the role of perceived risk in determining customers’ willingness to purchase fresh food online.

Research methods: Data were collected through an online survey. Respondents were recruited via a call on online platforms. A total of 287 fresh food e-commerce consumers participated.

Conclusions: The results showed that perceived risk of COVID-19 infection had a positive effect on purchase intention, perceived risk of purchase behavior had a negative impact on purchase intention, and attitude was a mediating variable between perceived risk and purchase intention. Past experience moderated the relationship between perceived risk of purchase behavior and attitude. Actual consumer behavior was explained directly by purchase intention

Originality: Next to attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, the effects of perceived risk of COVID-19 infection, perceived risk of purchase behavior, and past experience on purchase intention and actual behavior to purchase fresh food online were examined in an extended Theory of Planned Behavior model. Previous studies measured overall risk perception as risk perception associated with purchase behavior and risk perception related to Covid-19 infection. The influence of both types has rarely been examined distinctively.

Implications: Retailers can contribute to lowering consumers’ risk perception of purchasing fresh food online and offer creative promotions to attract repeat purchases.

Limitations: Only attitude correlated significantly with purchase intention, implying that additional variables may influence purchase intention. Also, although the influence of past experience is considered, a detailed distinction was not made.

JEL: D01, D81

References

Ahmed S.Y., Ali B.J., Top C. (2021), Understanding the impact of trust, perceived risk, and perceived technology on the online shopping intentions. Case study in Kurdistan region of Iraq, “Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government”, vol. 27 no. 3, pp. 2136–2153.

Ajzen I. (1985), From intentions to actions. A theory of planned behavior, in: Action control, Kuhl J., Beckman J. (eds.), Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp. 11–39.

Ajzen I. (1991), The theory of planned behavior, “Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes”, vol. 50 no. 2, pp. 179–211.

Ajzen I. (2019), Constructing a theory of planned behavior questionnaire, https://people.umass.edu/aizen/pdf/tpb.measurement.pdf [15.09.2021].

Alexa L., Apetrei, A., Sapena, J. (2021), The COVID-19 lockdown effect on the intention to purchase sustainable brands, “Sustainability”, vol. 13 no. 6, pp. 3241.

Al-Swidi A., Mohammed Rafiul Huque S., Haroon Hafeez M., Noor Mohd Shariff M. (2014), The role of subjective norms in theory of planned behavior in the context of organic food consumption, “British Food Journal”, vol. 116 no. 10, pp. 1561–1580.

Ariff M.S.M., Sylvester M., Zakuan N., Ismail K., Ali K.M. (2014), Consumer perceived risk, attitude and online shopping behaviour: empirical evidence from Malaysia, “IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering”, vol. 58, 012007.

Armitage C.J., Conner M. (2001), Efficacy of the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analytic review, “British Journal of Social Psychology”, vol. 40 no. 4, pp. 471–499.

Bandura A. (1977), Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change, “Psychological Review”, vol. 84 no. 2, pp. 191–215.

Barua P. (2013), The moderating role of perceived behavioral control: The literature criticism and methodological considerations, “International Journal of Business and Social Science”, vol. 4 no. 10, pp. 57–59.

Bianchi C., Andrews L. (2012), Risk, trust, and consumer online purchasing behaviour: a Chilean perspective, “International Marketing Review”, vol. 29 no. 3, pp. 253–275.

Chaudary S., Nisar S., Abdul Rehman M. (2014), Factors influencing the acceptance of online shopping in Pakistan, “Lahore Journal of Business”, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 75–97.

Chen M.-F. (2007), Consumer attitudes and purchase intentions in relation to organic foods in Taiwan: Moderating effects of food-related personality traits, “Food Quality and Preference”, vol. 18 no. 3, pp. 1008–1021.

Chen Y., Yan X.B., Fan W.G. (2015), Examining the effects of decomposed perceived risk on consumer online shopping behavior: a field study in China, “Engineering Economics”, vol. 26 no. 3, pp. 315–326.

Conner M., Sparks P. (2005), Theory of planned behaviour and health behaviour, “Predicting Health-Behaviour”, vol. 2 no. 1, pp. 121–162.

Ellison B., McFadden B., Rickard B.J., Wilson N.L.W. (2020), Examining food purchase behavior and food values during the COVID-19 pandemic, “Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy”, vol. 43 no. 1, pp. 58–72.

Ferguson M. (2021), What is no contact delivery? Procedures, processes, and safety tips, https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3240/what-is-no-contact-delivery.html [12.08.2021].

Fornell C., Larcker D.F. (1981), Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: algebra and statistics, “Journal of Marketing Research”, vol. 18 no. 3, pp. 382–388.

Fuchs G., Reichel A. (2011), An exploratory inquiry into destination risk perceptions and risk reduction strategies of first time vs. repeat visitors to a highly volatile destination, “Tourism Management”, vol. 32 no. 2, pp. 266–276.

Gefen D., Straub D., Boudreau M.-C. (2000), Structural equation modeling and regression: guidelines for research practice, “Communications of the Association for Information Systems”, vol. 4 no. 7, pp. 1–77.

Ghose A., Chandra B. (2020), Models for predicting sustainable durable products consumption behavior: A review article, “Vision - The Journal Of Business Perspective”, vol. 24 no. 1, pp. 81–89.

Grazioli S., Jarvenpaa S.L. (2000), Perils of Internet fraud: an empirical investigation of deception and trust with experienced Internet consumers, “IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part A”, vol. 30 no. 4, pp. 395–410.

Ha N.T. (2020), The impact of perceived risk on consumers’ online shopping intention: An integration of TAM and TPB, “Management Science Letters”, vol. 10 no. 9, pp. 2029–2036.

Hair J.F., Hult G.T.M., Ringle C.M., Sarstedt M., Thiele K.O. (2017), Mirror, mirror on the wall. . A comparative evaluation of composite-based structural equation modeling methods, “Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science”, vol. 45 no. 5, pp. 616–632.

Hair J.F., Hult G.T.M., Ringle C.M., Sarstedt M. (2022), A primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), 3rd edition., Sage, CA, Thousand Oaks.

Hao N., Wang H.H., Zhou Q.J. (2020), The impact of online grocery shopping on stockpile behavior in Covid-19, “China Agricultural Economic Review”, vol. 12 no. 3, pp. 459–470.

Henseler J., Hubona G., Ray P.A. (2016), Using PLS path modeling in new technology research: Updated guidelines, “Industrial Management and Data Systems”, vol. 116 no. 1, pp. 2–20.

Hongyu (2020), China sees boom in fresh food online buying, http://en.people.cn/n3/2020/1111/c90000-9779106.html [11.11.2020].

Huang C.L. (1993), Simultaneous equation model for estimating consumer risk perception, attitudes, and willingness to pay for residu-free produce, “Journal of Consumer Affairs”, vol. 27 no. 2, pp. 377–396.

Jarvenpaa S.L., Tractinsky N., Saarinen L. (2006), Consumer trust in an internet store: A cross-cultural validation, “Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication”, vol. 5 no. 2.

Kim J.J., Kim I., Hwang J. (2021), A change of perceived innovativeness for contactless food delivery services using drones after the outbreak of COVID-19, “International Journal of Hospitality Management”, vol. 93 no. 102758.

Klerck D., Sweeney J.C. (2007), The effect of knowledge types on consumer-perceived risk and adoption of genetically modified foods, “Psychology and Marketing”, vol. 24 no. 2, pp. 171–193.

Kwong S.W., Park J. (2008), Digital music services: Consumer intention and adoption, “The Service Industries Journal”, vol. 28 no. 10, pp. 1463–1481.

Lehberger M., Kleih A.-K., Sparke K. (2021), Panic buying in times of coronavirus (COVID-19): Extending the theory of planned behavior to understand the stockpiling of non-perishable food in Germany, “Appetite”, vol. 161 no. 105118.

Li Z.H., Sha Y.Z., Song X.P., Yang K.H., Zhao K., Jiang Z.X., Zhang Q.X. (2020), Impact of risk perception on customer purchase behavior, “Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing”, vol. 35 no. 1, pp. 76–96.

Liu L. (2020), Shanghai’s 13,000 neighborhoods achieve “closed management”, http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2020-02-10/doc-iimxxstf0206901.shtml [02.12.2020].

Lo A.Y. (2013), The role of social norms in climate adaptation. Mediating risk perception and flood insurance purchase, “Global Environmental Change”, vol. 23 no. 5, pp. 1249–1257.

Long N.N., Khoi B.H. (2020), An empirical study about the intention to hoard food during COVID-19 pandemic, “Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education”, vol. 16 no. 7, pp. 1–12.

Lu M.J., Wang R., Li P.Y. (2021), Comparative analysis of online fresh food shopping behavior during normal and COVID-19 crisis periods, “British Food Journal”, vol. 123 no. 3, pp. 968–986.

Lucarelli C., Mazzoli C., Severini S. (2020), Applying the theory of planned behavior to examine pro-environmental behavior: The moderating effect of COVID-19 beliefs, “Sustainability”, vol. 12 no. 24, p. 10556.

Mainardes E.W., de Almeida C.M., de-Oliveira M. (2019), E-commerce: an analysis of the factors that antecede purchase intentions in an emerging market, “Journal of International Consumer Marketing”, vol. 31 no. 5, pp. 447–468.

Marks L.J., Olson J.C. (1981), Toward a cognitive structure conceptualization of product familiarity, in: NA-Advances in Consumer Research, Monroe K.B. (ed.), Association for Consumer Research, Ann Arbor, MI, pp. 145–150.

Mitchell V. (1999), Consumer perceived risk. Conceptualisations and models, “European Journal of Marketing”, vol. 33 no. 1/2, pp. 163–195.

Mitterer-Daltoé M.L., Latorres J.M., Quieroz M.I., Fiszman S., Varela P. (2013), Reasons underlying low fish consumption where availability is not an issue. A case study in Brazil, one of the world’s largest fish producers, “Journal of Sensory Studies”, vol. 28 no. 3, pp. 205–216.

Muda M., Mohd R., Hassan S. (2016), Online purchase behavior of generation Y in Malaysia, “Procedia Economics and Finance”, vol. 37, pp. 292–298.

Nguyen C., Nguyen Tu A.M., Nguyen N. (2021), The effects of perceived risks on food purchase intention. The case study of online shopping channels during Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam, “Journal of Distribution Science”, vol. 19 no. 9, pp. 19–27.

Park J., Lennon S.J., Stoel L. (2005), On-line product presentation. Effects on mood, perceived risk, and purchase intention, “Psychology and Marketing”, vol. 22 no. 9, pp. 695–719.

Qi X., Ploeger A. (2021), Explaining Chinese consumers’ green food purchase intentions during the COVID pandemic. An extended theory of planned behaviour, “Foods”, vol. 10 no. 6, p. 1200.

Scalco A., Noventa S., Sartori R., Ceschi A. (2017), Predicting organic food consumption. A meta-analytic structural equation model based on the theory of planned behavior, “Appetite”, vol. 112, pp. 235–248.

Schmidt S., Benke C., Pané-Farré C.A. (2021), Purchasing under threat. Changes in shopping patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic, “PLoS ONE”, vol. 16 no. 6, pp. 1–15.

Shamim K., Ahmad S., Alam M.A. (2021), COVID-19 health safety practices. Influence on grocery shopping behavior, “Journal of Public Affairs”, vol. 21 no. 4.

Teo T., Liu J. (2007), Consumer trust in e-commerce in the United States, Singapore and China, “Omega”, vol. 35 no. 1, pp. 22–38.

Tommasetti A., Singer P., Troisi O., Maione G. (2018), Extended theory of planned behavior (ETPB). Investigating customers’ perception of restaurants’ sustainability by testing a structural equation model, “Sustainability”, vol. 10 no. 7, p. 2580.

Vijayasarathy L.R., Jones J.M. (2000), Print and Internet catalog shopping. Assessing attitudes and intentions, “Internet Research”, vol. 10 no. 3, pp. 191–202.

Wang Y., Wiegerinck V., Krikke H., Zhang H. (2013), Understanding the purchase intention towards remanufactured product in closed-loop supply chains. An empirical study in China, “International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management”, vol. 43 no. 10, pp. 866–888.

Wenzhuo W. (2020), How Chinese shopping habits have changed after Covid-19, https://jingdaily.com/how-chinese-shopping-habits-have-changed-after-covid-19 [10.01.2022].

Yang L. (2021), All neighborhoods in Chongqing are under closed management. 1 person per household is sent out regularly to make purchases, http://www.bjnews.com.cn/feature/2020/02/08/686501.html [08.08.2021].

Yazdanpanah M., Forouzani M. (2015), Application of the theory of planned behaviour to predict Iranian students’ intention to purchase organic food, “Journal of Cleaner Production”, vol. 107, pp. 342–352.

Youn S., Lee J.E., Ha-Brookshire J. (2021), Fashion consumers’ channel switching behavior during the COVID-19. Protection motivation theory in the extended planned behavior framework, “Clothing and Textiles Research Journal”, vol. 39 no. 2, pp. 139–156.

Yu S., Lu T., Qian X., Zhou W. (2018), Behavioral intention analysis of waste separation in China. Case study of Hangzhou using theory of planned behavior, “International Review for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development”, vol. 6 no. 3, pp. 63–77.

Zhang L., Tan W., Xu Y., Tan G. (2011), Dimensions of perceived risk and their influence on consumers’ purchasing behavior in the overall process of B2C, in: Lecture notes in electrical engineering, Zhang L., Zhang C. (eds.), Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp. 1–10.

Zhao K.Q., Shi H.X., Zhang Y.Y. Sheng J.P. (2021), Fresh produce e-commerce and online shoppers’ purchase intention, ”Chinese Economy”, vol. 54 no. 6, pp. 415–429.

Downloads

Published

2023-03-29