Online grocery retailing in Germany: an explorative analysis

Abstract

The paper focuses on the German food retailing industry with its market characteristics and the status quo of online food retailing in Germany by analysing data from market research institutes and consumer direct questionnaire. The paper examines the consumers’ perceptions of online as well as offline grocery shopping. As a result, an online grocery model was created using PLS-SEM modelling. It illustrates all major success factors related to the consumer’s willingness to shop for groceries online in Germany. The main factors influencing the willingness to shop for groceries online are awareness of benefits, need for more convenience, and change of the lack of trust in the new distribution channel. We identified some consumer groups that are more open to online shopping as they benefit more from online grocery shopping. Especially working mothers and young professionals are the consumer groups with a high potential interest.

Keywords:

• online grocery shopping
• e-commerce
• online grocery
• on-line food retail
• consumers’ perceptions
• Germany

JEL Classification:

• L110
• D470

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christian Seitz

Christian SEITZ is a PhD graduate in Economics and Management of Agriculture and Food Processing at the Faculty of Economics and Management of Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia). His research is focused on economics of food retailing and e-grocery.

Ján Pokrivčák

Ján POKRIVČÁK is an expert in the field of international economics, agricultural economics, and public economics. He was the scientific coordinator of the EU’s fifth framework project Agmemod, sixth framework projects Tradeag and Agmemod 2020, and sevenths framework projects Factor Markets, Agfoodtrade, NTM Impact, Transfop and Food Secure. He was a participant to many international projects funded by World Bank, FAO, European Commission. Ján Pokrivčák graduated from Cornell University in the USA and has several publications in peer reviewed international scientific journals. He has also written several book chapters published by international publishers and participated in many international conferences. Ján Pokrivčák cooperates within his projects with leading quantitative economists, and modelers from all over the world.

Marián Tóth

Marián TÓTH is an expert in the field of agricultural economics, finance and farm performance. He graduated in Banská Bystrica (Slovakia) in Finance, Banking and Investment and did his PhD at the Faculty of Economics and Management of Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia). Currently he is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Finance, Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia. His research activities focus on finance in agriculture and risk management.

Miroslav Plevný

Miroslav PLEVNÝ is an expert in the field of management science, quantitative methods in economics, and logistics including the problems of supply chain management. He was the leading researcher or participating researcher in several research projects funded by the grant Agency of Czech Republic, Technological Agency of Czech Republic and others. Miroslav Plevný is the author of several articles in peer reviewed international scientific journals, and actively participated in many international conferences. He is member of Editorial boards of several peer reviewed scientific journals, member of the Expert Panel established by the R&D Council of the Government of the Czech Republic, member of the Evaluation Panel of the Czech Science Foundation, and the vice-president of the Czech Society of Operations Research.