Qualitative Study on Factors Influencing Aging Population's Online Grocery Shopping and Mode Choice When Grocery...

Given that older adults are prone to car cessation, they may also be at risk of food insecurity. Online shopping has the potential to become a key solution to this growing social issue. The objective of this study was to understand how mode use relates to food shopping patterns, and what specifically motivates older adults to choose certain travel modes for grocery shopping or to shop online. Sixty-one retired individuals were interviewed in Montreal, Canada. Participants were first asked to discuss their food shopping habits and the modes they used to purchase food. Then, participants were asked open-ended questions about beliefs from the theory of planned behavior. Participants listed advantages/disadvantages, people who approve/disapprove, and facilitating factors/barriers related to travel modes and online grocery shopping. Most participants never used online grocery shopping. Results revealed similarities in shopping styles between car drivers and online shoppers. Both were organized (prepared lists), shopped in bulk, and went on regularly timed shopping trips. Public transit (PT) and active mode users were spontaneous and irregular shoppers who viewed in-person shopping as physical and social activity opportunities. Grocery shopping using these modes could be made easier for some participants if shops offered home delivery after in-store purchases. Car drivers were more likely to adopt online services than PT or active mode users who preferred delivery after in-person shopping to reduce obstacles linked to these modes. In order for online grocery shopping to be integrated as part of one's established habits, both travel habits and grocery shopping habits must be observed jointly.