The Virtual Online Supermarket: An Open-Source Research Platform for Experimental Consumer Research

Nils Engelbrecht, Tim-Benjamin Lembcke, Alfred Benedikt Brendel, Kilian Bizer and Lutz M. Kolbe
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Nils Engelbrecht: Chair of Economic Policy and SME Research, University of Goettingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Tim-Benjamin Lembcke: Chair of Information Management, University of Goettingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Alfred Benedikt Brendel: Chair of Business Informatics, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Kilian Bizer: Chair of Economic Policy and SME Research, University of Goettingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Lutz M. Kolbe: Chair of Information Management, University of Goettingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-25

Abstract: It is controversially discussed if and which interventions policymakers should implement to promote healthier, more sustainable, and more ethical food choices. Often, policy measures suffer from a lack of data. This is especially true for the growing field of online grocery shopping. Yet, it not always feasible to test the impact of each possible policy intervention in the field. Here, computer-simulated shopping experiments offer a complementary approach. Recent evidence suggests that they heighten the realism of consumer experiments and collect valid data at a relatively low cost. In this paper, we introduce an open-source toolset that offers multiple avenues to develop and run experiments in the context of online grocery shopping. Hence, it supports researchers and policy makers in evaluating instore-intervention aiming to support more sustainable food choices.

Keywords: online supermarket; e-grocer; experimental consumer research; research platform (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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