Expiration Date, Unknown: Reasons to Abandon E-grocery Shopping: A qualitative study

Abstract

Groceries online (E-grocery) is a growing market, however, many of those that have tried the service abandon it shortly thereafter. Most research surrounding e-grocery focuses on why consumer begin purchasing and why repurchases occur, however, there is a lack of studies regarding why consumers abandon purchasing. Therefore, this article examines why consumers abandon purchasing e-groceries and what factors are causing this behavior. This study uses qualitative interviews with respondents who have abandoned purchasing e-groceries. The findings suggest that price, time, convenience, quality, recovery and stress are among the factors that can be used to map out why consumer abandon e-groceries. In conclusion, the study proposes that these latter factors do not work as single entities but rather in combination. Our findings suggest that egrocers should implement basic to premium–segmented products as well as inform customers regarding the latest policies and routines.