Online grocery shopping in Germany: the impact of Covid-19

Online grocery shopping has shown a strong growth in the past years and is expected to further develop in the future, especially through the influence of COVID-19. The main purpose of this study was to examine six theoretical customer-oriented factors and their influence on consumer online grocery purchase intention. Additionally, this study compares consumer perceptions be-fore and since the COVID-19 outbreak. Since the health crisis is very recent, the research on its impact on online grocery purchasing behavior is limited. A total of 402 valid questionnaires were collected in Germany. The data was analyzed using the software SPSS IBM 28.The results indicate that the factor ‘perceived risk’ still has a negative influence on purchase intention and remains relevant in online grocery shopping. However, the consumer’s perceived risk is considered lower compared to pre-COVID since the health crisis. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived trust, convenience as well as situational factors were found to have a positive relationship with purchase intention, both before the COVID-19 crisis and since then. The COVID-19 pandemic shows a strong reduction in perceived risk, while the remaining characteristics increase in moderate levels. Online grocery businesses could use the insights of this study to reduce perceived risks as well as successfully communicate benefits of online shopping to consumers