Mobile grocery shopping adoption by elderly South African consumers

Background: Unlike digital natives, elderly consumers in emerging markets are slower to adopt mobile grocery shopping services. Current research on mobile grocery shopping in emerging markets does not elucidate the elderly’s intention to use mobile grocery shopping. Aim: To address the literature gap, this study leverages the UTAUT2 to explore the determinants behind South African elderly consumers’ intention to use mobile grocery shopping services. Setting: Data were collected in South Africa. Method: A cross-sectional, non-probability research design was used to collect data from 269 elderly (65 years and older) grocery shoppers. SmartPLS version 4.1.0.7 was used to test the hypotheses. Results: The in-sample predictive accuracy of the model was high (76%). Effort expectancy significantly influenced behavioural intention, while performance expectancy did not. Hedonic motivation is the second strongest influence on the intention to use mobile grocery shopping services, followed by price-value, social influence and habit. The moderation analysis revealed that the elderly are a diverse demographic with varied behaviours towards mobile grocery shopping. Notably, mobile shopping habits impact elderly males differently than females. In addition, the effects of hedonic motivation and effort expectancy on intention vary with the elderly’s age. Conclusion: A specific set of UTAUT2 variables influences the elderly’s intention to use mobile grocery shopping services. The research shows that the elderly are heterogeneous in mobile shopping adoption behaviour. Contribution: This study contributes to the limited research on the elderly’s intention to use mobile grocery shopping services in emerging markets.