Digital Nudging in Online Grocery Stores – Towards Ecologically Sustainable Nutrition

A major driver of global environmental challenges is our current food system. More sustainable practices on the supply side depend on pressure from the demand side: Every individual can contribute to a greener food system by making sustainable food choices. Digital nudging represents a promising approach to foster desirable consumer behavior. Research in the growing online food context is scarce and lacks a comparative analysis of digital nudging elements and their effectiveness regarding different consumer groups. We transferred three nudging elements to the digital choice environment of an online grocery store and conducted a field experiment with 291 participants. Parametric, nonparametric, regression, and cluster analyses showed that default rules are effective for a broad consumer base and simplification for environmentally-conscious consumers to promote ecologically sustainable behavior, while social norms had no effect. The results inform research and practice regarding the potential of digital nudging to foster ecologically sustainable food choices