Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Grocery Shopping Behavior of Individuals

Understanding the mobility patterns of human beings is important during the pandemic to assess the spread of ineffectual diseases. The present study attempted to explore the grocery shopping behavior of consumers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic conditions. To achieve this objective, a Google Forms-based online survey has been conducted (viz., the survey form has been circulated through electronic and social media) to understand consumer behavior and their daily mobility. The data is analyzed based on the socioeconomic characteristics and their impact on the frequency of shopping, shopping duration, mode of shopping, distance traveled for shopping, etc. From the analysis, it was inferred that the majority of individuals are restricting their shopping trips to nearby grocery shops and making shorter trips. The results of this study provide some insights into grocery shopping behavior, and it might be extended to other shopping-related activities.