Working Paper: NBER ID: w27427
Authors: Hunghao Chang; Chad Meyerhoefer
Abstract: We investigate how the coronavirus pandemic affected the demand for online food shopping services using data from the largest agri-food e-commerce platform in Taiwan. We find that an additional confirmed case of COVID-19 increased sales by 5.7% and the number of customers by 4.9%. The demand for grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, and frozen foods increased the most, which benefited small farms over agribusinesses. Online food shopping was highly responsive to COVID-19 media coverage and online content. Because Taiwan did not impose a stay-at-home order, the demand for online food shopping may be similar in other countries after they lift mobility restrictions.
Keywords: COVID-19; Online Food Shopping; Taiwan; Agrifood E-commerce
JEL Codes: I10; Q13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Media mentions of COVID-19 (I10) | Ubox sales (L81) |
| Confirmed COVID-19 cases (Y10) | Demand for grain products (Q11) |
| Confirmed COVID-19 cases (Y10) | Demand for fresh fruits and vegetables (Q11) |
| Confirmed COVID-19 cases (Y10) | Sales on Ubox platform (L81) |
| Confirmed COVID-19 cases (Y10) | Number of customers using the platform (D26) |