CATEGORY-LEVEL GROCERY SHOPPING PREFERENCES IN LOCAL DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER MARKET CHANNELS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

81 pagesThe COVID-19 pandemic has changed consumers’ food consumption behaviors and preferences. In this paper, we examine consumers’ grocery shopping behaviors in local direct-to-consumer (DTC) market channels across nine food categories: cereals and bakery products, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, fruit and vegetable, dairy and related products, packaged food, and beverages before and after the vaccination became widely available. Online surveys were distributed to measure the market conditions, and demographic, behavioral, and psychographic characteristics of consumers. A total of 518 responses were obtained. We used an ordered logistic regression for analysis. Importantly, the findings show: reduced concern for COVID-19-related food safety in supermarket channels, the convenience of local purchases, the discovery of new local DTC markets, and the desire to build connections and support for local businesses are associated with a greater likelihood of increased shopping in local DTC markets; decreased price in supermarkets is associated with a lower likelihood of increased local DTC shopping