Alcohol Purchase Modality: Differences in Demographics, Purchase Patterns and Alcohol-Related Harms Among Australians...

Alcohol home delivery increases alcohol availability and is associated with high-risk drinking and increased harms. However, little is known about the specific impacts home delivery has among people who consume alcohol at high-risk levels. The current study examined demographics, purchase patterns and alcohol-related harms among Australian adults classified as drinking at high-risk levels, by purchase modality (in-store vs. online for delivery).

An online panel survey of 700 Australian adults who drink alcohol at high-risk levels measured demographics, usual purchasing behaviour, most recent alcohol purchase and alcohol-related harms. Participants were classified according to how they purchase alcohol: (i) only in-store (n = 202); (ii) occasionally online (n = 299); and (iii) frequently online (n = 199). Regression models controlling for demographics and clustering by location examined the association between purchase modality and purchasing behaviours and harms.

Participants who purchased alcohol frequently online had significantly higher AUDIT-10 scores, were younger, less likely to be female, had higher levels of education, and were more likely to live in high socio-economic areas compared to those purchasing in-store or occasionally online. Participants purchasing frequently online were also significantly more likely to use buy-now-pay-later options than the occasionally online participant group. There were no clear differences in alcohol-related harms experienced by participant groups.

The current study reaffirms the need for effective regulations targeting home delivery of alcohol, such as mandated delivery timeframes between sale and delivery and removal of buy-now-pay-later payment options from online alcohol stores.