IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/osf/osfxxx/kjsdz.html

Some searches may not work properly. We apologize for the inconvenience.

   My bibliography  Save this paper

Geographies of grocery shopping in major Canadian cities: evidence from large-scale mobile app data

Author

Listed:
  • Smith, Lindsey Gail
  • Yifei, Maggie Ma
  • Widener, Michael
  • Farber, Steven

Abstract

Socioeconomic and place-based factors contribute to grocery shopping patterns which may be important for diet and health. Big data provide the opportunity to explore behaviours at the population level. We used data collected from Flipp, a free all-in-one savings and deals content app, to identify visitation to grocery stores and estimate home-to-store distances, monthly frequencies, and number of unique stores visited in eight Canadian cities during 2020. Grocery shopping outcomes and associations with income, population density, and percentage of car commuters were explored using data aggregated at the Aggregate Dissemination Area (ADA) level in which app users lived. Changes in patterns of grocery shopping following restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were also investigated. The median of average home-to-store distances ranged from 4-5 km across all cities throughout 2020. Shorter distances for grocery shopping were shown consistently for shoppers living in lower income, densely populated, and low-car commuting ADAs. A maximum of three unique supermarkets were visited on average each month. Decreases in the frequency and variability of grocery store visits were shown across all cities in April 2020 following the implementation of restrictions in response to COVID-19, and pre-pandemic levels of shopping were rarely achieved by the end of the year. Ultimately, these results provide much needed information regarding the characteristics of grocery shopping trips in a high-income country, as well as how food shopping was impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This information will be useful for a range of future studies seeking to characterise access to food retail.

Suggested Citation

  • Smith, Lindsey Gail & Yifei, Maggie Ma & Widener, Michael & Farber, Steven, 2022. "Geographies of grocery shopping in major Canadian cities: evidence from large-scale mobile app data," OSF Preprints kjsdz, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:osfxxx:kjsdz
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/kjsdz
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://osf.io/download/62683463353f8f095ade7143/
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.31219/osf.io/kjsdz?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lee, In, 2017. "Big data: Dimensions, evolution, impacts, and challenges," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 293-303.
    2. Guillermo Gallacher & Iqbal Hossain, 2020. "Remote Work and Employment Dynamics under COVID-19: Evidence from Canada," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 46(S1), pages 44-54, July.
    3. Lauren Chenarides & Carola Grebitus & Jayson L. Lusk & Iryna Printezis, 2021. "Food consumption behavior during the COVID‐19 pandemic," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(1), pages 44-81, January.
    4. Fei Men & Valerie Tarasuk, 2021. "Food Insecurity amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Food Charity, Government Assistance, and Employment," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 47(2), pages 202-230, June.
    5. Hokey Min, 2006. "Developing the profiles of supermarket customers through data mining," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(7), pages 747-763, October.
    6. Ellen Goddard, 2020. "The impact of COVID‐19 on food retail and food service in Canada: Preliminary assessment," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 68(2), pages 157-161, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Lindsey G Smith & Maggie Yifei Ma & Michael J Widener & Steven Farber, 2023. "Geographies of grocery shopping in major Canadian cities: Evidence from large-scale mobile app data," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(3), pages 723-739, March.
    2. Pettinicchio, David & Maroto, Michelle Lee & Chai, Lei & Lukk, Martin, 2000. "Findings from an online survey on the mental health effects of COVID-19 on Canadians with disabilities and chronic health conditions," SocArXiv 9d5j4, Center for Open Science.
    3. Hao Xu & Niu Niu & Dongmei Li & Chengjie Wang, 2024. "A Dynamic Evolutionary Analysis of the Vulnerability of Global Food Trade Networks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-17, May.
    4. Paulo Ferreira & Éder J.A.L. Pereira & Hernane B.B. Pereira, 2020. "From Big Data to Econophysics and Its Use to Explain Complex Phenomena," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-10, July.
    5. Sylvain Charlebois & Mark Juhasz & Janet Music, 2021. "Supply Chain Responsiveness to a (Post)-Pandemic Grocery and Food Service E-Commerce Economy: An Exploratory Canadian Case Study," Businesses, MDPI, vol. 1(2), pages 1-19, July.
    6. Margherita Bernabei & Silvia Colabianchi & Francesco Costantino, 2022. "Actions and Strategies for Coronavirus to Ensure Supply Chain Resilience: A Systemic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    7. Higgins, Christopher D. & Páez, Antonio & Kim, Gyoorie & Wang, Jue, 2021. "Changes in accessibility to emergency and community food services during COVID-19 and implications for low income populations in Hamilton, Ontario," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    8. Ignacio Rodríguez-Rodríguez & José-Víctor Rodríguez & Niloofar Shirvanizadeh & Andrés Ortiz & Domingo-Javier Pardo-Quiles, 2021. "Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data and the Internet of Things to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scientometric Review Using Text Mining," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-29, August.
    9. Maniyassouwe Amana & Pingfeng Liu & Mona Alariqi, 2022. "Value Creation and Capture with Big Data in Smart Phones Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-22, November.
    10. Pei Zhang & Peiran Chen & Fan Xiao & Yong Sun & Shuyan Ma & Ziwei Zhao, 2022. "The Impact of Information Infrastructure on Air Pollution: Empirical Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-17, November.
    11. Brenna Ellison & Brandon McFadden & Bradley J. Rickard & Norbert L. W. Wilson, 2021. "Examining Food Purchase Behavior and Food Values During the COVID‐19 Pandemic," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 58-72, March.
    12. Arnold, René & Hildebrandt, Christian & Taş, Serpil, 2020. "Europäische Datenökonomie: Zwischen Wettbewerb und Regulierung. Endbericht," Study Series, WIK Wissenschaftliches Institut für Infrastruktur und Kommunikationsdienste GmbH, number 251537, January.
    13. Jelena Končar & Radenko Marić & Goran Vukmirović & Sonja Vučenović, 2021. "Sustainability of Food Placement in Retailing during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, May.
    14. Law, Rob & Rong, Jia & Vu, Huy Quan & Li, Gang & Lee, Hee Andy, 2011. "Identifying changes and trends in Hong Kong outbound tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 1106-1114.
    15. Bellatin, Alejandra & Galassi, Gabriela, 2022. "What COVID-19 May Leave Behind: Technology-Related Job Postings in Canada," IZA Discussion Papers 15209, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Umit Can & Bilal Alatas, 2017. "Big Social Network Data and Sustainable Economic Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-19, November.
    17. Dong, Diansheng & Stewart, Hayden & Dong, Xiao & Hahn, William, 2022. "Quantifying Consumer Welfare Impacts of Higher Meat Prices During the COVID-19 Pandemic," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 2022(Economic ), April.
    18. Md. Sekender Ali & Md. Saeed Siddik & Sk. Md. Nur-E-Alam & Tayeba Khanam & Most Moriom Khatun, 2020. "Analysis of the Problems and Minimization Initiatives Addressed by Bangladeshi Farmers During the Covid-19 Pandemic," Asian Journal of Agriculture and rural Development, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 10(4), pages 773-781, December.
    19. Khan, Syed Abdul Rehman & Razzaq, Asif & Yu, Zhang & Shah, Adeel & Sharif, Arshian & Janjua, Laeeq, 2022. "Disruption in food supply chain and undernourishment challenges: An empirical study in the context of Asian countries," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).
    20. Kristina Gligorić & Arnaud Chiolero & Emre Kıcıman & Ryen W. White & Robert West, 2022. "Population-scale dietary interests during the COVID-19 pandemic," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:osf:osfxxx:kjsdz. 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: OSF (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://osf.io/preprints/ .

    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.