IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/decono/v169y2021i4d10.1007_s10645-021-09389-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

COVID-19 and the Demand for Online Grocery Shopping: Empirical Evidence from the Netherlands

Author

Listed:
  • Barbara Baarsma

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Jesse Groenewegen

    (Utrecht University)

Abstract

There has been a pronounced increase in online shopping since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We study the effect of the pandemic on demand for online grocery shopping specifically, using municipality-level data from a Dutch online supermarket. We find that an additional hospital admission increased app traffic by 7.3 percent and sales per order by 0.31 percent. Local hospital admissions do not correlate with the variety of groceries ordered, but online search behavior does, suggesting that hoarding behavior is driven by the general perception and impact of the virus rather than local conditions. Local COVID-19 conditions also have different effects in urban versus non-urban municipalities, with local hospital admissions increasing app traffic in urban areas but lowering sales per order as compared to non-urban areas. It remains to be seen whether the demand for online grocery shopping will permanently increase as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Barbara Baarsma & Jesse Groenewegen, 2021. "COVID-19 and the Demand for Online Grocery Shopping: Empirical Evidence from the Netherlands," De Economist, Springer, vol. 169(4), pages 407-421, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:decono:v:169:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s10645-021-09389-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10645-021-09389-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10645-021-09389-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10645-021-09389-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Scott R Baker & Robert A Farrokhnia & Steffen Meyer & Michaela Pagel & Constantine Yannelis & Jeffrey Pontiff, 0. "How Does Household Spending Respond to an Epidemic? Consumption during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic," The Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 10(4), pages 834-862.
    2. Surico, Paolo & Känzig, Diego & Hacıoğlu Hoke, Sinem, 2020. "Consumption in the time of Covid-19: Evidence from UK transaction data," CEPR Discussion Papers 14733, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Asger Lau Andersen & Emil Toft Hansen & Niels Johannesen & Adam Sheridan, 2022. "Consumer responses to the COVID‐19 crisis: evidence from bank account transaction data," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 124(4), pages 905-929, October.
    4. Diana Farrell & Lindsay E. Relihan & Marvin W. Ward Jr. & Chris W. Wheat, 2020. "The early impact of Covid-19 on local commerce: changes in spend across neighborhoods and online," CEP Occasional Papers 50, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    5. Paul Dolfen & Liran Einav & Peter J. Klenow & Benjamin Klopack & Jonathan D. Levin & Larry Levin & Wayne Best, 2023. "Assessing the Gains from E-Commerce," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(1), pages 342-370, January.
    6. Suphanit Piyapromdee & Peter Spittal, 2020. "The Income and Consumption Effects of COVID‐19 and the Role of Public Policy," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(4), pages 805-827, December.
    7. Haiqiang Chen & Wenlan Qian & Qiang Wen, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Consumption: Learning from High-Frequency Transaction Data," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 111, pages 307-311, May.
    8. Jasper Grashuis & Theodoros Skevas & Michelle S. Segovia, 2020. "Grocery Shopping Preferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-10, July.
    9. Hung‐Hao Chang & Chad D. Meyerhoefer, 2021. "COVID‐19 and the Demand for Online Food Shopping Services: Empirical Evidence from Taiwan," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(2), pages 448-465, March.
    10. Kim, Seonghoon & Koh, Kanghyock & Zhang, Xuan, 2020. "Short-Term Impact of COVID-19 on Consumption and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from Singapore," IZA Discussion Papers 13354, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Relihan, Lindsay & Ward, Marvin & Wheat, Chris W. & Farrell, Diana, 2020. "The early impact of COVID-19 on local commerce: changes in spend across neighborhoods and online," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 105060, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Alberto Cavallo, 2020. "Inflation with Covid Consumption Baskets," NBER Working Papers 27352, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Tsutomu Watanabe & Yuki Omori, 2020. "Online Consumption During the COVID-19 Crisis: Evidence from Japan," Working Papers on Central Bank Communication 023, University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Economics.
    14. Tsutomu Watanabe & Yuki Omori, 2020. "Online Consumption During the COVID-19 Crisis: Evidence from Japan," CARF F-Series CARF-F-487, Center for Advanced Research in Finance, Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kvalsvik, Fifi, 2022. "Understanding the role of situational factors on online grocery shopping among older adults," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Michiel Bijlsma & Carin Cruijsen & Jester Koldijk, 2022. "Determinants of Trust in Banks’ Payment Services During COVID: An Exploration Using Daily Data," De Economist, Springer, vol. 170(2), pages 231-256, May.
    3. Oughton, Edward J. & Amaglobeli, David & Moszoro, Marian, 2023. "What would it cost to connect the unconnected? Estimating global universal broadband infrastructure investment," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10).
    4. Svetlana Fedoseeva & Ellen Van Droogenbroeck, 2023. "Pandemic pricing: Evidence from German grocery e‐commerce," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(4), pages 1139-1156, October.
    5. Hertog, Ekaterina & Fukuda, Setsuya & Matsukura, Rikiya & Nagase, Nobuko & Lehdonvirta, Vili, 2023. "The future of unpaid work: Estimating the effects of automation on time spent on housework and care work in Japan and the UK," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    6. Zuokas, Danas & Gul, Evren & Lim, Alvin, 2022. "How did COVID-19 change what people buy: Evidence from a supermarket chain," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    7. Julita Szlachciuk & Olena Kulykovets & Maciej Dębski & Adriana Krawczyk & Hanna Górska-Warsewicz, 2022. "The Shopping Behavior of International Students in Poland during COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-19, September.
    8. 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).
    9. Bart Geurden & Jeroen Cant & Joris Beckers, 2022. "Food Accessibility in the Suburbs of the Metropolitan City of Antwerp (Belgium): A Factor of Concern in Local Public Health and Active and Healthy Aging," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-13, November.
    10. Hannah Younes & Robert B. Noland & Wenwen Zhang, 2022. "Browsing for food: Will COVID‐induced online grocery delivery persist?," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(S1), pages 179-195, November.
    11. Xiaoguang Wang & Tao Lv & Lei Fan, 2022. "New Energy Vehicle Consumer Demand Mining Research Based on Fusion Topic Model: A Case in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-13, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hakan Yilmazkuday, 2021. "Changes in Consumption in the Early COVID-19 Era: Zip-Code Level Evidence from the U.S," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-10, October.
    2. Maximiliano Gómez Aguirre & Ariel David Krysa, 2023. "Consumer Loans Dynamics in 2020 in Argentina: An Approach Using Error Correction Models," Ensayos Económicos, Central Bank of Argentina, Economic Research Department, vol. 1(81), pages 111-158, May.
    3. John Gathergood & Fabian Gunzinger & Benedict Guttman-Kenney & Edika Quispe-Torreblanca & Neil Stewart, 2020. "Levelling Down and the COVID-19 Lockdowns: Uneven Regional Recovery in UK Consumer Spending," Papers 2012.09336, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2020.
    4. Mohammad Hoseini & Abolmohsen Valizadeh, 2021. "The effect of COVID-19 lockdown and the subsequent reopening on consumption in Iran," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 373-397, June.
    5. John Gathergood & Benedict Guttman-Kenney, 2020. "The English Patient: Evaluating Local Lockdowns Using Real-Time COVID-19 & Consumption Data," Papers 2010.04129, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2021.
    6. Jaravel, Xavier & O'Connell, Martin, 2020. "Real-time price indices: Inflation spike and falling product variety during the Great Lockdown," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    7. Hodbod, Alexander & Hommes, Cars & Huber, Stefanie J. & Salle, Isabelle, 2021. "The COVID-19 consumption game-changer: Evidence from a large-scale multi-country survey," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    8. INOUE Hiroyasu & TODO Yasuyuki, 2022. "Has COVID-19 Permanently Changed Online Consumption Behavior?," Discussion papers 22018, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    9. Hanghun Jo & Eunha Shin & Heungsoon Kim, 2020. "Changes in Consumer Behaviour in the Post-COVID-19 Era in Seoul, South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, December.
    10. Kimiagari, Salman & Asadi Malafe, Neda Sharifi, 2021. "The role of cognitive and affective responses in the relationship between internal and external stimuli on online impulse buying behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    11. Jaravel, Xavier & O'Connell, Martin, 2020. "Inflation Spike and Falling Product Variety during the Great Lockdown," CEPR Discussion Papers 14880, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Pascal Seiler, 2020. "Weighting bias and inflation in the time of COVID-19: evidence from Swiss transaction data," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 156(1), pages 1-11, December.
    13. José M. González-Varona & Félix Villafáñez & Fernando Acebes & Alfonso Redondo & David Poza, 2020. "Reusing Newspaper Kiosks for Last-Mile Delivery in Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-27, November.
    14. Feng‐An Yang & Hung‐Hao Chang & Jiun‐Hao Wang, 2022. "The economic impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the Taiwanese food industry: Empirical evidence using business transaction data," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(2), pages 376-395, June.
    15. Martin O'Connell & Áureo de Paula & Kate Smith, 2021. "Preparing for a pandemic: spending dynamics and panic buying during the COVID‐19 first wave," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(2), pages 249-264, June.
    16. Hacıoğlu-Hoke, Sinem & Känzig, Diego R. & Surico, Paolo, 2021. "The distributional impact of the pandemic," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    17. Horvath, Akos & Kay, Benjamin & Wix, Carlo, 2023. "The COVID-19 shock and consumer credit: Evidence from credit card data," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    18. Martin Brown & Matthias R. Fengler & Jonas Huwyler & Winfried Koeniger & Rafael Lalive & Robert Rohrkemper, 2023. "Monitoring consumption Switzerland: data, background, and use cases," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 159(1), pages 1-16, December.
    19. Jinwook Shin & Seonghoon Kim & Kanghyock Koh, 2020. "Economic Impact of Targeted Government Responses to COVID-19: Evidence from the First Large-scale Cluster in Seoul," Working Paper Series no138, Institute of Economic Research, Seoul National University.
    20. Catarina Midões & Mateo Seré, 2022. "Living with Reduced Income: An Analysis of Household Financial Vulnerability Under COVID-19," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 125-149, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Consumer behavior; COVID-19; Online grocery shopping; Food consumption;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce
    • R22 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Other Demand

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:decono:v:169:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s10645-021-09389-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.