Grocery Retailing in India: Online Mode versus Retail Store Purchase

Abstract

E-retailing is entering into the Indian retail scenario in a noticeable way and online grocery retailing holds a promise of acceptance by the Indian customers. This paper attempts to discover the market potential of online grocery retailing in India and consumers’ perception towards its different aspects. Confirmatory factor analysis proposes that there are five underlying dimensions ( convenience, value for money, variety, loyalty and ambient factors) governing the selection of mode for grocery purchase. Thereafter Binary-Logistic Regression has been employed to analyze the impact of these five broad perceptual dimensions upon the acceptance/rejection of online grocery retailing. The respondents accorded the highest importance to the factors value for money and convenience. The study suggested that issues like meeting customer expectations and preferences in terms of delivering value for money, quick and convenient purchasing, smooth delivery process, and reducing risk perceptions are critical for establishing online grocery retailing as an effective alternative to traditional brick and mortar retailing.