Analysis of factors influencing customers’ loyalty in online grocery shopping: An analysis of the Italian market after the consequences of COVID-19

Abstract

Customers' purchase habits are drastically changed in recent years. In particular, the impact of new technologies and the spread of Covid-19 contributed to accelerating the switch from in-store purchases to online shopping, affecting the whole Customer Journey and User Experience. On one hand, online shopping is fast and accessible, but on the other hand, users can face a lack of experience, trust, and privacy problems. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze if the recent pandemic and the spread of new technologies changed the willingness to do grocery shopping online and then to predict if those possible changes are going to persist. Starting with a focus on how the Customer Journey evolved over the years, the paper continues analyzing four main theories of Consumer Behavior and their application on the e-grocery shopping sector: the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Expectancy Confirmation Theory, and the Technology Acceptance Model. Subsequently, the thesis continues showing data collected through an online survey distributed among Italian consumers, aiming to examine how grocery shopping habits changed due to the recent events and the customers’ willingness to switch to e-grocery shopping. Data are collected, examined, and then compared with previous studies to analyze changes over time and among different countries, showing points in common and differences.