Supply Chain Responsiveness to a (Post)-Pandemic Grocery and Food Service E-Commerce Economy: An Exploratory Canadian Case Study

Sylvain Charlebois, Mark Juhasz and Janet Music
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Sylvain Charlebois: Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Mark Juhasz: Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Janet Music: Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada

Businesses, 2021, vol. 1, issue 2, 1-19

Abstract: The focus of this study looks at the motivations and rationale from a national survey of over 7200 Canadians in November 2020 into why they use online services to purchase food. As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, food supply chains have been significantly altered. Consumers are purchasing foods with different dynamics, including when they buy in-person at groceries, at restaurants or at food service establishments. Elements of the food supply chain will be permanently altered post-pandemic. The study looks at a specific set of factors, captured in the survey, namely, consumer price sensitivity to the costs of online food purchasing, growing sustainability-related concerns over food packaging and waste, and product sensory experience related to how online purchasing changes from in-person food selection. The end goal, emerging from a case study, is insight into the strategies and preparedness with which CPGs, food services, and retailers can better manage the supply chain in their food product offerings in the post-pandemic era.

Keywords: e-commerce; online food shopping; supply chains; grocery; food service; consumer responsiveness; price sensitivity; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A1 D0 D4 D6 D7 D8 D9 E0 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 F0 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 G0 G1 G2 H0 J0 K2 L0 L1 L2 M0 M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 N0 N1 N2 O0 O1 P0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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