Online and store patronage: a typology of grocery shoppers

Abstract

Purpose: Grounded on approach/avoidance behaviour theory, this study develops a typology of grocery shoppers based on the concomitant perceived advantages and disadvantages of shopping online and in store for a single cohort of consumers who buy groceries in both channels. Methodology:A survey design was employed using a sample of 871UK shoppers who had purchased groceries online and offline. The survey instrument contained items that measured the perceived advantages and disadvantages of grocery shopping online, and items relating to the perceived advantages and disadvantages of grocery shopping in traditional supermarkets. Items were selected from the extant literature and subjected to content and face validity checks. Cluster analysis was used to develop typologies of online and offline grocery shoppers. The inter-relation between the two typology sets was then examined. Findings:The results of the research provide several insights into the characteristics, perceptions and channel patronage preferences of grocery shoppers. In particular, profiling e-grocery shoppers on the basis of their concomitant perceptions of shopping online and in store suggests that the choice of whether to shop online or in store may be driven not by the perceived advantages of one channel versus the other, but by the desire to avoid the greater disadvantages of the alternative. These perceptions differ somewhat between different consumer groups.Originality/value: This study makes a noteworthy contribution to the Internet and general shopping literature by providing a profile of grocery shoppers based on their concomitant and often conflicting perceived advantages and disadvantages of shopping online and their perceived advantages and disadvantages of shopping in traditional supermarkets. The use of a single cohort of consumers overcomes the bias in previous studies that employ separate cohorts of online and offline shoppers and reveal important insights into the complex perceptions and behaviours of multi-channel grocery shoppers.

The Research Topics on E-Grocery: Trends and Existing Gaps

“…Finally, a comparative analysis was carried out by Harris et al [41]. The authors developed a typology of grocery shoppers on the basis of the advantages and disadvantages of shopping both online and in store for consumers buying groceries using both channels.…”

Global consolidation of industries and business failures: insights from brick-and-mortar and online outlets

“…service or product). Building on these notions and prior scholarly works (Ha & Stoel, 2009;Harris et al, 2017;Heung, 2003;Rajamma et al, 2007), we contend that there are four main competitive dynamics, i.e. bricks vs. bricks; clicks vs. bricks; clicks vs. clicks and brick-and-click.…”

“…In the light of the convenience and ability to perform these tasks, some consumers have gravitated towards online shopping when offline shopping is perceived to be inconvenient (Chiang & Dholakia, 2003). Another motivating factor is that consumers who view such shopping as a "chore" have often opted for other forms of shopping, including online (Harris et al, 2017).…”

“…Sources: synthesised from: Burke, 1998;Chiang & Dholakia, 2003;Gallino & Moreno, 2014;Harris et al, 2017;Herhausen et al, 2015;Rigby, 2011.…”

“…At the dawn of the 21st century, a tremendous technological transformation was under way in altering not only how we make purchases but also the way in which we interact with businesses that provide the products or services (Grewal, Roggeveen & Nordfält, 2017;Lee, Rao, Nass, Forssell, & John, 2012;Rigby, 2011). In an era of new global competition, the internet and online platforms have come to be regarded as essential ingredients for firms seeking success in the 21st century (Chakraborty, Lee, Bagchi-Sen, Upadhyaya & Rao, 2016;Grewal, Roggeveen & Nordfält, 2017;Harris, Riley, Riley & Hand, 2017). Indeed, it has been suggested that online platforms can help firms to outwit not only their rivals but also help prolong their existence (see Bellman, 2001).…”