Does COVID-19 Affect the Behavior of Buying Fresh Food? Evidence from Wuhan, China
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. Fresh Food
2.2. Online Shopping and In-Store Shopping
3. Methodology
3.1. Survey Design and Data
Respondents’ Attributes
3.2. Ordered Logit Regression Model
4. Results and Discussions
4.1. Characteristics of Shopping for Fresh Food
4.2. Comparison of Shopping Behavior for Fresh Food before, during, and after the COVID-19 Pandemic
4.3. Model Results
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Variables | Definitions | Count | Mean/Percentage (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Gender | 1 = Male | 72 | 46.2 |
2 = Female | 84 | 53.8 | |
Age | 1 = 18 or less | 0 | 0.0 |
2 = 19–25 | 10 | 6.4 | |
3 = 26–35 | 107 | 68.6 | |
4 = 36–45 | 18 | 11.5 | |
5 = 46–55 | 10 | 6.4 | |
6 = 56–61 | 10 | 6.4 | |
7 = more than 65 | 1 | 0.6 | |
Education | 1 = High school or less | 11 | 7.1 |
2 = Colleges/technical school | 17 | 10.9 | |
3 = Undergraduate | 82 | 52.6 | |
4 = Graduate or more | 46 | 29.5 | |
Income ($/Month) | 1 = <457 | 16 | 10.3 |
2 = 457–762 | 42 | 26.9 | |
3 = 762–1523 | 63 | 40.4 | |
4 = 1523–3046 | 29 | 18.6 | |
5 = 3046–4569 | 3 | 1.9 | |
6 = More than 4569 | 3 | 1.9 | |
Before Covid-19 outbreak | |||
Frequency of online shopping for fresh food () | 1 = Severe times a week | 31 | 30.39 |
2 = Once a week | 34 | 33.33 | |
3 = Once every two weeks | 10 | 9.80 | |
4 = Once a month | 10 | 9.80 | |
5 = Less than once a month | 17 | 16.67 | |
Cost of online shopping for fresh food ($/Once) | 1 = Less than 15 | 46 | 45.10 |
2 = 15–30 | 46 | 45.10 | |
3 = 30–45 | 5 | 4.90 | |
4 = 45–60 | 4 | 3.92 | |
5 = More than 60 | 1 | 0.98 | |
Proportion of online shopping for fresh food () | 1 = Less than 10% | 50 | 49.02 |
2 = 10–20% | 28 | 27.45 | |
3 = 20–40% | 15 | 14.71 | |
4 = 40–60% | 6 | 5.88 | |
5 = 60–80% | 2 | 1.96 | |
6 = More than 80% | 1 | 0.98 | |
Frequency of in-store shopping for fresh food | 1 = Severe times a week | 73 | 46.79 |
2 = Once a week | 41 | 26.28 | |
3 = Once every two weeks | 19 | 12.18 | |
4 = Once a month | 4 | 2.56 | |
5 = Less than once a month | 19 | 12.18 | |
Travel mode to stores for fresh food | 1 = Walk | 72 | 46.15 |
2 = Electric bicycle | 12 | 7.69 | |
3 = Bicycle | 14 | 8.97 | |
4 = Car | 47 | 30.13 | |
5 = Public transport (bus and subway) | 9 | 5.77 | |
6 = Others | 2 | 1.28 | |
Travel time to the nearest store for fresh food (() minutes) | 1 = Less than 10 | 87 | 55.77 |
2 = 11–20 | 59 | 37.82 | |
3 = 21–30 | 8 | 5.13 | |
4 = 31–40 | 1 | 0.64 | |
5 = 41–60 | 0 | 0.00 | |
6 = More than 60 | 1 | 0.64 | |
During the Covid-19 pandemic | |||
Frequency of online shopping for fresh food () | 1 = Severe times a week | 62 | 39.74 |
2 = Once a week | 60 | 38.46 | |
3 = Once every two weeks | 19 | 12.18 | |
4 = Once a month | 4 | 2.56 | |
5 = Less than once a month | 11 | 7.05 | |
Cost of online shopping for fresh food ($/Once) | 1 = Less than 15 | 44 | 28.21 |
2 = 15–30 | 69 | 44.23 | |
3 = 30–45 | 21 | 13.46 | |
4 = 45–60 | 12 | 7.69 | |
5 = More than 60 | 10 | 6.41 | |
Proportion of online shopping for fresh food () | 1 = Less than 10% | 29 | 18.59 |
2 = 10–20% | 20 | 12.82 | |
3 = 20–40% | 19 | 12.18 | |
4 = 40–60% | 21 | 13.46 | |
5 = 60–80% | 15 | 9.62 | |
6 = More than 80% | 52 | 33.33 | |
Time spend on online shopping for fresh food (minutes) | 1 = Less than 15 | 40 | 25.64 |
2 = 15–30 | 85 | 54.49 | |
3 = 30–45 | 18 | 11.54 | |
4 = 45–60 | 7 | 4.49 | |
5 = More than 60 | 6 | 3.85 | |
Waiting time for fresh food after ordered online (hours) | 1 = Less than 12 | 43 | 27.56 |
2 = 12–24 | 54 | 34.62 | |
3 = 24–48 | 46 | 29.49 | |
4 = 48–72 | 9 | 5.77 | |
5 = More than 72 | 4 | 2.56 | |
The way of online shopping for fresh food | Free choice | 107 | 68.59 |
In the form of a food bag with determined contents | 77 | 49.36 | |
After Covid-19 pandemic | |||
Will you increase online shopping for fresh food | 1 = yes | 83 | 53.21 |
0 = No | 73 | 46.79 | |
Proportion of online shopping for fresh food () | 1 = Less than 10% | 42 | 26.92 |
2 = 10–20% | 46 | 29.49 | |
3 = 20–40% | 40 | 25.64 | |
4 = 40–60% | 17 | 10.90 | |
5 = 60–80% | 3 | 1.92 | |
6 = More than 80% | 8 | 5.13 | |
Compare to in-store shopping, the advantages of online shopping | 1 = No touching | 131 | 83.97 |
2 = Save travel time | 109 | 69.87 | |
3 = Cheap | 27 | 17.31 | |
4 = After-sales service is timely and effective | 25 | 16.03 | |
5 = Others | 10 | 6.41 | |
Compare to in-store shopping, the disadvantages of online shopping | 1 = Cannot see the real thing, just look at the picture can not judge the quality | 141 | 90.38 |
2 = No fresh than the store | 74 | 47.44 | |
3 = Logistics transportation damaged goods | 58 | 37.18 | |
4 = Others | 14 | 8.97 |
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Attributes | Characteristics | |
---|---|---|
In-Store Shopping | Online Shopping | |
Shopping | Travel cost [24,29] | No travel cost [24,29] |
Travel time [24,29] | No travel time [24,29] | |
No need of internet [33] | Need internet [33] | |
Shopping with social and leisure purpose [31,32] | No social purpose and less shopping fun [31,32] | |
Delivery | No delivery cost [34] | Delivery cost [34] |
No waiting time for delivery [34] | Waiting time for delivery [34] | |
Certainty | Touching items and more certainty [29] | Without touching and more uncertainty [29] |
Study | Key Variables |
---|---|
[7,14,23,29,30,33,36,37,38,39,40] | Sociodemographic features (gender, education, income, car ownership, credit card ownership, household composition). |
[7,14,24,25,29,35,37,40,41,42,42] | Shopping behaviors (frequency of online shopping and in-store shopping, shopping trip chaining, travel cost, travel time, waiting time, delivery cost, delivery way) |
[29,33,35,36,37,39] | Internet behavior (frequency of Internet use, time on Internet, Internet connection type, number of years using Internet) |
[29,37,40,41,43,44,45] | Shopping attitude (positive online or in-store shopping attitude, cost consciousness, quality consciousness, in-store shopping is fun, important to see products in person, lifestyle/personality, perception of prices, time pressure, adventure seeking) |
[24,25,35,37] | Land use (shop access, urbanization level, living areas) |
Proportion | Before COVID-19 Outbreak | During COVID-19 Pandemic |
---|---|---|
More than once a week | 31 | 62 |
Once a week | 34 | 60 |
Once every two weeks | 10 | 19 |
Once a month | 10 | 4 |
Less than once a month | 17 | 11 |
Cost ($) | <15 | 15–30 | 30–45 | 45–60 | >60 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Before COVID-19 outbreak | 46 | 46 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
During COVID-19 pandemic | 44 | 69 | 21 | 12 | 10 |
Proportion | Before COVID-19 Outbreak | During COVID-19 Pandemic | After COVID-19 Pandemic |
---|---|---|---|
<10% | 50 | 29 | 42 |
10–20% | 28 | 20 | 46 |
20–40% | 15 | 19 | 40 |
40–60% | 6 | 21 | 17 |
60–80% | 2 | 15 | 3 |
>80% | 1 | 52 | 8 |
Attributes | Independent Variables | Online Shopping Proportion for Fresh Food after COVID-19 Pandemic | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
B | Std. Error | Signif. | ||
People with experience online shopping for fresh food before the COVID-19 outbreak | Age | −1.144 | 0.582 | 0.046 * |
−0.421 | 0.157 | 0.006 ** | ||
0.606 | 0.191 | 0.001 ** | ||
0.441 | 0.112 | 4.623 × 10−5 *** | ||
People without experience online shopping for fresh food before the COVID-19 outbreak | −0.444 | 0.270 | 0.092 | |
0.580 | 0.297 | 0.046 * | ||
0.493 | 0.161 | 0.001 ** |
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Share and Cite
Chen, J.; Zhang, Y.; Zhu, S.; Liu, L. Does COVID-19 Affect the Behavior of Buying Fresh Food? Evidence from Wuhan, China. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4469. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094469
Chen J, Zhang Y, Zhu S, Liu L. Does COVID-19 Affect the Behavior of Buying Fresh Food? Evidence from Wuhan, China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(9):4469. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094469
Chicago/Turabian StyleChen, Jing, Yong Zhang, Shiyao Zhu, and Lei Liu. 2021. "Does COVID-19 Affect the Behavior of Buying Fresh Food? Evidence from Wuhan, China" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 9: 4469. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094469