COVID-19 and the Demand for Online Food Shopping Services: Empirical Evidence from Taiwan

Hung-Hao Chang and Chad Meyerhoefer

No 27427, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We investigate how the coronavirus pandemic affected the demand for online food shopping services using data from the largest agri-food e-commerce platform in Taiwan. We find that an additional confirmed case of COVID-19 increased sales by 5.7% and the number of customers by 4.9%. The demand for grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, and frozen foods increased the most, which benefited small farms over agribusinesses. Online food shopping was highly responsive to COVID-19 media coverage and online content. Because Taiwan did not impose a stay-at-home order, the demand for online food shopping may be similar in other countries after they lift mobility restrictions.

JEL-codes: I10 Q13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-pay
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (38)

Published as Hung‐Hao Chang & Chad D. Meyerhoefer, 2021. "‐19 and the Demand for Online Food Shopping Services: Empirical Evidence from Taiwan," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, vol 103(2), pages 448-465.

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