Despite widespread popularity in Europe, particularly in the UK and the Netherlands, demand for Online Grocery Retail in Germany, which is economically just as strongly developed, appears to be rather low. This study therefore aims to find out which factors encourage or discourage consumers in Germany to order groceries online.
Businesses need to make the online grocery business model transparent and useful from a marketing perspective. The clear advantages of this way of shopping groceries must be communicated. Furthermore, psychological aspects of consumers must be understood and taken into account in the retailers' strategy. Last but not least, importance must be attached to data protection and environmental protection; this message must be conveyed.
By providing current insights into consumers' preferences and wishes on their personal grocery shopping behavior, the findings can be used by Businesses and especially Grocery Retailer to shape the grocery shopping of the future.
Based on the hypothesis that that there is some degree of resistance to the utilisation of technology which is potentially inhibiting German consumers utilising actively embracing online grocery retail, the Technology Acceptance Model and its extension was chosen as a conceptual framework in order to test this assumption. To test the findings of the Literature Review, 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted in the empirical part of this study. The target group of the interviewees were students aged between 18 - 30, 13 of them female and 12 male.
The main findings are that the reasons for the low demand for online grocery retailing in Germany are cultural. German consumers are more likely to trust new trends if they have been on the market and established for a longer period of time. The high density of grocery stores favours the fact that German consumers do not see any real added value in this service and thus no real usefulness. In addition to ease of use and usefulness, demographic aspects must also be taken into account in order to make the online grocery trade successful in Germany.
The study focused on a specific age and target group. For practical reasons, the number was limited to 25 interviews. For further research it is recommended to analyze further age and target groups in order to gain further differences in the individual aspects.
Table of Contents
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 1.1 Research Context and Rationale
- 1.2 Research Aim and Objectives
- 1.3 Research Questions
- 1.4 Research Design
- 1.5 Dissertation Structure
- 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Theoretical Framework
- 2.3 Structural Factors Affecting Online Retail Use
- 2.4 Demographic Factors Affecting Online Retail Use
- 2.5 Barriers to Grocery Food Retail - A Gap in the State of Knowledge
- 2.6 Conceptual Framework
- 2.7 Chapter Conclusion
- 3. METHODOLOGY
- 3.1 Research Methodology
- 3.2 Research Design
- 3.3 Data Collection
- 3.3.1 Semi-Structured Interviews
- 3.3.2 Population and Sample
- 3.3.3 Research Ethics
- 3.3.4 Pilot Studies
- 3.3.5 Credibility and Dependability
- 3.4 Data Analysis
- 3.4.1 Thematic Analysis
- 3.4.2 Limitations and Delimitations
- 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Results
- 4.2.1 Grocery Purchasing Behaviour
- 4.2.2 Motivating Drivers when buying Groceries
- 4.2.3 Demotivating Drivers when buying Groceries
- 4.2.4 Overall Impression of Online Grocery Retailing
- 4.2.5 Motivating and Demotivating Factors of Online Grocery Retailing
- 4.2.6 Explanation of the low demand situation in Germany
- 4.2.7 Assessment of Practical Aspects of the Online Grocery Trade
- 4.2.8 Decisive Factor for using the Online Grocery Channel
- 4.3 Discussion
- 4.3.1 Findings in Support of Literature
- 4.3.2 Findings which Vary from Literature
- 4.3.3 Addressing RQs Aim and Objectives
- 4.4 Chapter Summary
- 5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- 5.1 Conclusions
- 5.2 Recommendations
- 5.2.1 Practical Recommendations
- 5.2.2 Limitations and Further Research
Objectives and Key Themes
This study aims to determine the factors influencing German consumers' adoption of online grocery shopping, exploring why, despite its popularity in other European countries, online grocery retailing remains relatively underdeveloped in Germany. The study investigates the factors encouraging or discouraging German consumers from purchasing groceries online, with a particular focus on cultural and technological influences.
- Consumer behaviour in online grocery retailing
- The Technology Acceptance Model and its application to online grocery shopping
- Cultural factors influencing consumer preferences in Germany
- The role of technology in shaping consumer behaviour
- The impact of demographic factors on online grocery adoption
Chapter Summaries
The dissertation begins with an introduction to the research context and rationale, outlining the research aim and objectives, research questions, design, and dissertation structure. The second chapter provides a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, including the theoretical framework, structural and demographic factors affecting online retail use, barriers to grocery food retail, and the conceptual framework. The methodology chapter details the research design, data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews, and data analysis techniques, including thematic analysis. The fourth chapter presents the findings and discussions, focusing on the results of the interviews and their implications for the research questions and objectives. This chapter explores grocery purchasing behaviour, motivating and demotivating drivers, and the overall impression of online grocery retailing in Germany.
Keywords
The research focuses on online grocery retail, consumer behaviour, and the Technology Acceptance Model. Key themes include cultural influences, demographic factors, and the role of technology in shaping consumer preferences in Germany. The dissertation also investigates the barriers to online grocery adoption and explores practical implications for retailers aiming to promote this shopping channel in the German market.
- Quote paper
- Yasin Yilmaz (Author), 2020, Consumer Behaviour in Online Grocery Retailing in Germany, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/540108
