Because of the COVID-19 epidemic when lockdowns have become common on all continents and the general growth of the internet, the pace of change in digital marketplaces has quickened. This greatly increased the significance of online shopping. For grocery and food retail businesses, higher ecommerce sales are the new normal. According to Eurostat, 95% of all purchases will be made online by 2040. A qualitative study on the behaviour of online shoppers was conducted against the backdrop of the current state of e-commerce and its potential for the future. The primary objective was to identify the triggers and barriers within the main accounts of Romanian online grocery shoppers and the resulting behavioural changes during pandemics. A qualitative study was conducted in August–October 2021 using a questionnaire among internet users in general and online grocery shoppers in particular. The study used a sample of online grocery shoppers customised for the exploratory study, which was representative of the urban population of Romania aged between 25 and 50 years and was also segmented by gender. Secondary objectives were also identified that were more closely related to motivations. These included understanding the importance of grocery shopping and the differences between offline and online grocery shopping, as well as the patterns of online grocery shopping and the main factors influencing purchasing decisions. The three most common online consumer profiles were the independent shopper, the relaxed/relaxed shopper and the conscious and cautious shopper.
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