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COVID-19 and the Demand for Online Food Shopping Services: Empirical Evidence from Taiwan

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  • Hung-Hao Chang
  • Chad Meyerhoefer

Abstract

We investigate how the coronavirus pandemic affected the demand for online food shopping services using data from the largest agri-food e-commerce platform in Taiwan. We find that an additional confirmed case of COVID-19 increased sales by 5.7% and the number of customers by 4.9%. The demand for grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, and frozen foods increased the most, which benefited small farms over agribusinesses. Online food shopping was highly responsive to COVID-19 media coverage and online content. Because Taiwan did not impose a stay-at-home order, the demand for online food shopping may be similar in other countries after they lift mobility restrictions.

Suggested Citation

  • Hung-Hao Chang & Chad Meyerhoefer, 2020. "COVID-19 and the Demand for Online Food Shopping Services: Empirical Evidence from Taiwan," NBER Working Papers 27427, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:27427
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • Q13 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Markets and Marketing; Cooperatives; Agribusiness

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