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Online purchasing and household food waste: unpacking the role of value assessment discrepancies from purchase to usage

Author

Listed:
  • Tian, Qingsong
  • Gao, Wenbing
  • Lin, Yan
  • Yu, Yan
  • Li, Chongguang

Abstract

The rapid development of digital technologies has accelerated the shift of household food purchasing from offline to online channels. Despite this trend, the impact of online shopping on household food waste and the underlying psychological mechanisms remain underexplored. Using a multi-method approach comprising a large-scale field survey and two controlled experiments, this study investigates how purchasing channels influence household food waste and the cognitive processes driving this effect. The results show that online purchasing leads to higher levels of household food waste compared to offline channels, with value assessment discrepancies between the purchase and usage stages serving as a key mediating mechanism. Importantly, when consumers adopt a computational value assessment strategy rather than a perceptual strategy while shopping online, the channel effect on food waste is attenuated. These findings provide theoretical insights into the cognitive drivers of online food consumption and offer practical guidance for enhancing sustainability in the digital transformation of household food purchasing.

Suggested Citation

  • Tian, Qingsong & Gao, Wenbing & Lin, Yan & Yu, Yan & Li, Chongguang, 2026. "Online purchasing and household food waste: unpacking the role of value assessment discrepancies from purchase to usage," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 89(PA).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:89:y:2026:i:pa:s096969892500373x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104594
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