It appears the COVID-19 global pandemic has changed the way many people shop for groceries.
A new study by the University of British Columbia Okanagan indicates that more and more consumers are doing their grocery shopping online.
“Prior to COVID-19, online shopping was largely done by young, well-educated and high-income individuals,” explains Dr. Mahmudur Fatmi, an assistant professor in the UBCO School of Engineering.
According to UBCO research, online shopping habits took off across the world during the pandemic — mostly as a result of social distancing measures, business closures and travel restrictions.
Dr. Fatmi says, “we decided to look into a crystal ball to investigate how shopping habits will evolve as a result of the increase in online activities since the pandemic began.”
According to Dr. Fatmi's study, urban dwellers are more likely to do in-store grocery shopping compared to those in the suburbs and people with a driver’s licence and access to a vehicle are less likely to use an online grocery service or take out meal ordering. The research also showed that frequent transit users are more likely to order online groceries and they mostly prefer going out for meals.
Dr. Fatmi also indicated that lower-income people were more likely to continue in-store grocery shopping and eating out activities.
“Our findings suggested that the ‘new normal’ when it comes to shopping will likely look a bit different than pre-pandemic.”
Dr. Fatmi's findings showed that those who frequently order food online are also likely to dine-in at restaurants at a higher frequency, which means they simply prepare fewer meals at home.
In conclusion, Dr. Fatmi believes that online shopping behaviour has shifted during the pandemic and the way people go about their day-to-day lives has changed during the pandemic and he and his team plan to monitor whether these shifts will be permanent.
