e-Grocery Shopping in the UK: Role of Situational Variables

The role of situational variables in online grocery shopping in the UK
Helen Robinson, Kingston University, UK*
Francesca Dall’Olmo Riley, Kingston University, UK
Ruth Rettie, Kingston University, UK
Gill Rolls-Willson, Kingston University, UK

Previous research on e-grocery shopping has mainly been descriptive of online purchase patterns and loyalty to brands, but little is known about what lies behind these patterns. More research is needed on what motivates consumers when shopping for groceries online. The aim of this study is to understand the motivations and perceptions of UK online grocery shoppers. A qualitative approach, using four discussion groups with internet grocery shoppers was employed for this exploratory study. Life events emerged as the catalyst for starting or stopping online shopping. While convenience was a motivation for shopping online, issues of service quality, particularly surrounding deliveries, made respondents frequently re-evaluate their decision of whether or not to continue to shop online. Most respondents considered online shopping as a complementary, rather than as an alternative mode of shopping for groceries, with users continuing to make purchases in traditional stores, as well as online.
Our results have important implications for managers involved in the provision of online grocery operations in the U.K. and indeed in other countries where online shopping for grocery products is at an earlier stage of development.
Keywords Internet consumer behaviour, Online shopping, E-grocery

Introduction
According to Mintel (2003), the UK “has arguably the most developed online grocery retail market in the world”, with more than 1.3 million people shopping for groceries online (Daily Record 2004). The largest UK provider,
Tesco.com, is also the world’s biggest Internet grocery business (Finch
2001) and has exported its online techniques to the USA, in a partnership deal with Safeway, California’s biggest food

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