Customer Satisfaction towards Convenient Grocery Shopping from Provisional Stores during COVID-19

Abstract

Customer satisfaction has a crucial role in forming consumers’ subsequent purchase behavior and intentions. This study aims to identify the determinants of consumer satisfaction towards convenient grocery shopping from Indian provisional stores and to examine the customer satisfaction level towards each of these convenience variables during COVID-19. A total of 378 consumers of provisional or Kirana stores spread across India were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The data gathered was analyzed using factor analysis, multiple linear regression, descriptive statistics, and average percentage scores. The results suggest that the consumers are highly satisfied with easy and fast access to the store and an extent to the acquisition of the product and hygiene of the store but require significant improvement in the product search process and transaction period in the store. Public spending on groceries has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to the partial closing of many food-away-from-home establishments. Though grocery shopping is necessary, little is known about the complex relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and grocery shopper behavior. We performed an online framed decision experiment to evoke expectations for ordering processes, time windows, minimum order conditions, and fees to inform heterogeneity in grocery shopper behavior under different COVID-19 pandemic scenarios.