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Who Shops for Groceries Online?

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  • Restrepo, Brandon J.
  • Zeballos, Eliana

Abstract

A notable shift toward online grocery shopping is occurring. To examine the prevalence and frequency of online grocery shopping, the methods of receiving groceries purchased online, and the primary motivators prompting U.S. consumers to buy groceries online, this report uses nationally representative data from the USDA, Economic Research Service’s 2022 Eating and Health Module of the American Time Use Survey. The analysis reveals that about one in five individuals who usually do any grocery shopping in their household purchased groceries online at least once in the past month. Shoppers more likely to buy groceries online than their counterparts and who shopped online more frequently were female, ages 15–24, non-Hispanic White, married or partnered, from a household with young children, more educated, income ineligible for SNAP benefits, or frequently did the grocery shopping in their households. Pickup and delivery options were chosen almost equally, and more than two in five online grocery shoppers cited time constraints as the main reason the shoppers chose to buy groceries online. Examining the drivers of online grocery shopping can inform program, policy, and retailer decision making—given the potential for online grocery shopping to improve food access, foster healthier purchases, and alter the food retail landscape.

Suggested Citation

  • Restrepo, Brandon J. & Zeballos, Eliana, 2024. "Who Shops for Groceries Online?," Economic Research Report 346028, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uersrr:346028
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.346028
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ruhm, Christopher J., 2005. "Healthy living in hard times," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 341-363, March.
    2. Brandon J. Restrepo & Eliana Zeballos, 2022. "Work from home and daily time allocations: evidence from the coronavirus pandemic," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 735-758, September.
    3. Brandon J. Restrepo & Eliana Zeballos, 2020. "The effect of working from home on major time allocations with a focus on food-related activities," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1165-1187, December.
    4. Jordan W. Jones, 2021. "COVID-19 Working Paper: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Redemptions during the Coronavirus Pandemic," USDA Miscellaneous 310389, United States Department of Agriculture.
    5. Alison Gustafson & Rachel Gillespie & Emily DeWitt & Brittany Cox & Brynnan Dunaway & Lindsey Haynes-Maslow & Elizabeth Anderson Steeves & Angela C. B. Trude, 2022. "Online Pilot Grocery Intervention among Rural and Urban Residents Aimed to Improve Purchasing Habits," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-17, January.
    6. Lin, Biing-Hwan & Guthrie, Joanne & Smith, Travis, 2023. "Dietary Quality by Food Source and Demographics in the United States, 1977-2018," USDA Miscellaneous 333757, United States Department of Agriculture.
    7. Katherine Harris‐Lagoudakis, 2022. "Online shopping and the healthfulness of grocery purchases," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(3), pages 1050-1076, May.
    8. Michael Olumekor & Harman Preet Singh & Ibrahim Abdullah Alhamad, 2024. "Online Grocery Shopping: Exploring the Influence of Income, Internet Access, and Food Prices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-17, February.
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