Factors Affecting the Growth of E-Shopping over the COVID-19 Era in Hanoi, Vietnam

Distracted on duty: A theory-based exploration of influences leading to mobile phone distracted riding among food delivery workers

Using mobile phones while riding is a form of distracted riding that significantly elevates crash risk. Regrettably, the factors contributing to mobile phone use while riding (MPUWR) among food delivery riders remain under-researched. Addressing this literature gap, the current study employs the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and various socio-economic factors to examine the determinants of MPUWR. The research incorporates data from 558 delivery workers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The study utilizes two analytical methods to empirically test the hypotheses, considering non-linear relationships between variables: Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The results reveal mixed impacts of factors connected to job resources. Although social support appears to deter MPUWR, work autonomy and rewards seemingly encourage it. Furthermore, a predisposition towards risk-taking behaviour significantly impacts the frequency of mobile phone usage among delivery riders. Interestingly, riders with higher incomes and those who have previously been fined by the police exhibit more frequent mobile phone use. The findings of this study present valuable insights into the crucial factors to be addressed when designing interventions aimed at reducing phone use among food delivery riders.

Life satisfaction and occupational safety relationship: Research on motorcycle couriers in Turkey

OBJECTIVES

Rising e-commerce trend with Covid-19 pandemic has significantly increased the need for motorcycle-couriers. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and occupational safety and health (OSH) of motorcycle-couriers and to evaluate the opinions of OSH specialists about the importance of motorcycle-couriers' life satisfaction and OSH perception levels.

METHODS

The relationship between life satisfaction and perception of OSH of 750 motorcycle-couriers was addressed using quantitative research methods through two different scales (Life Satisfaction Scale and Occupational Safety Perception Scale). The views of 20 OSH specialists about the importance of motorcycle-couriers' perception of life satisfaction and OSH levels were addressed using qualitative research methods.

RESULTS

There was a negative linear relationship between perception of OSH and life satisfaction levels of motorcycle-couriers. All OSH specialists evaluated the level of life satisfaction as an important factor in OSH practice of motorcycle-couriers and all were of the opinion that the job was quite risky and adequate OSH measures were not sufficiently guaranteed.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that there is a need for some legal regulation of this occupation and ensuring necessary occupational standards are applied. This could include increased responsibility of companies/employers and could provide training programs to improve OSH.

Non-fatal traffic crashes among food delivery riders in Vietnam: What is the problem?

OBJECTIVE

The rapid development of information technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in the proliferation of online food shopping and food delivery motorcyclists. In contrast to the relatively ample literature on factors influencing fatalities and risky riding behaviors of food delivery motorcyclists, little is known about the determinants of non-fatal crashes involving online food delivery riders. The present study examines the prevalence and factors of non-fatal crashes among food delivery riders.

METHODS

The self-reported data of 393 online food delivery riders were collected in Hanoi and Hochiminh city, Vietnam. Binary logit regression was used to investigate the factors associated with non-fatal crashes.

RESULTS

The findings showed that more than half of riders (54%) reported being involved in at least one crash in the last 12 months. The most common risky riding behaviors associated with the crashes included using a mobile phone while riding, neglecting turn signals, red-light running, riding when tired/sleepy, and speeding. The riders who were national migrants, married, and worked on planned delivery routes mainly alone were more likely to experience crashes. At the same time, adequate perceived rewards for their work prevent crash involvement. Perceived risk was not a significant predictor of self-reported crashes.

CONCLUSIONS

Ensuring road safety for delivery riders requires a systemic effort involving multiple stakeholders, and the private sector plays a crucial role in discouraging risky riding behaviors. It is imperative for the government and regulatory bodies to redefine the delivery job to alleviate the strain on riders and provide resources such as rewards. Specifically, riders should be considered employees rather than partners. Furthermore, it is crucial for the police to take a more active role in preventing dangerous behaviors among delivery riders, such as running red lights. At the same time, supporting financial strategies should be implemented for delivery riders, particularly for those who are migrants or married and may face additional challenges.

What if delivery riders quit? Challenges to last-mile logistics during the Covid-19 pandemic

Notoriously precarious, hazardous, and stressful, delivery jobs became even more onerous and dangerous during the pandemic. In this study, set in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we applied Structural Equation Modelling to a large sample of primary data to measure delivery riders' intention to quit their jobs at the height of the pandemic. We found that job burnout was the key trigger to the intention to quit whereas the risk of Covid-19 infection did not directly affect this behavioral intention. Female riders, migrants, persons living with chronic diseases, and those who had seen their income decimated during the pandemic were more likely to want to quit their job. But if a mass of delivery drivers or riders had failed to show up for work, the last-mile delivery sector would have become paralysed, leaving individuals in various states of lockdown or isolation without food and supplies. As the sector is poised to retain its importance in the post-pandemic period, we recommend a number of approaches for both private companies and public policy makers to persuade riders to stay in their jobs. First and foremost, strategies to prevent and mitigate job burnout should be formulated.

Changes in consumer spending behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic across product categories

We examine changes in online consumer spending during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we compare consumer spending on various product categories before the pandemic started to after. Unlike previous work, we not only look at the different consumer demographic profiles but also different product categories, providing a better understanding of spending behavior. E-commerce has been a favorite way of shopping for consumers before the pandemic, while some demographic groups were reluctant to use e-commerce. However, as pandemic-related restrictions on physical shopping were put in place, consumers found e-commerce the only way to shop for many essential products. As such, consumer online spending changed. We employ freshly released Canadian Perspectives Survey Series (CPSS) data on consumer spending by Statistics Canada. We examine the association between various demographic factors and the change in online spending empirically. Our findings indicate that, compared to their counterparts, younger consumers are more likely to have increased online spending on product categories related to internet connectivity and streaming services. Female consumers exhibit increased online spending on similar products, in addition to online learning services and home exercise equipment. Consumers living in urban areas exhibit a higher probability of increased online spending on computers, smartphone devices, internet connectivity, and food delivery services. Consumers with at least one child exhibit a similar trend. Larger households exhibit a considerable increase in the probability of increased online spending on food delivery services. Lastly, consumers with higher education exhibit a higher probability of increased online spending on products related to online learning and streaming services.

The Contribution of Cognitive Factors to Compulsive Buying Behaviour: Insights from Shopping Habit Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The last decade has seen an increase in compulsive behaviours among young adults worldwide, particularly in 2020, during restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, even if shopping is an ordinary activity in everyday life, it can become a compulsive behaviour for certain individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of working memory and decision-making style in compulsive behaviour. A total of 105 participants (65 F, 40 M) were recruited online from May 2020 to December 2020. They completed a series of questionnaires to measure shopping compulsive behaviour, decision-making styles, deficits in working memory and online shopping habits. The results show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people spent much more time shopping online, made more purchases and spent more money than prior to the pandemic. Moreover, both higher working memory deficits and spontaneous decision-making style predicted a greater tendency to engage in compulsive buying. These results suggest the need to develop specific training programs to improve cognitive aspects related to compulsive shopping behaviour.

Health and safety risks faced by delivery riders during the Covid-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVES

Delivery riders have been front-line workers throughout the pandemic but little is known about their own health and safety during this time. This study explores the health and safety issues facing delivery riders in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, during the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular during the second lockdown (May-October 2021).

METHOD

A web-based survey of more than 800 riders was conducted in August-September 2021. Following descriptive statistics, four logit models were fitted to examine the factors associated with (a) sanitizing one's hands, (b) using a face shield, (c) contracting a new health issue, and (d) engaging in riskier traffic behaviors during the lockdown.

RESULTS

The riders who were less consistent in adopting health and safety measures tended to be male, older, less-educated, and vaccinated. Also, they were under greater financial pressure and had suffered a larger loss of income during the pandemic. To recover the loss, they worked longer hours and felt under more intense pressure at work. The job pressure, long working hours, and financial burdens led many drivers to adopt risky traffic behaviors, such as speeding. Conversely, where the companies and co-workers were more supportive, riders tended to adopt health prevention measures more often. Fear of Covid-19 also acted as a facilitator. Job and financial pressure combined with the fear of contracting the virus contributed to the occurrence of new heath issues during the pandemic. Again, support from the company and co-workers helped to reduce the risk of new health problems emerging.

CONCLUSION

In Ho Chi Minh City and other Global South megacities that employ tens of thousands of riders, ensuring their health and safety is important to support both private businesses and public health. Overall, companies should assume a much larger responsibility here.

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected the Sustainable Adoption of Digital Signature: An Integrated Factors Analysis Model

Digital signatures have been widely and primarily used for document approval activities during the Coronavirus pandemic in Indonesia. This is the digital equivalent of a handwritten signature or stamped seal, although it provides more inherent security, such as validating the authenticity and integrity of a message, software, or virtual document. Therefore, this study aims to determine factors affecting consumer intention in using digital signatures based on (i) the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2, (ii) the theory of planned behavior, and (iii) the information acceptance model. A total of 358 respondents answered the online questionnaire containing 69 question items, with the data analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique to examine the hypotheses. The results showed that the relationship between consumers’ attitudes, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and information adoption had the highest and lowest effects on consumers’ behavioral intention. Moreover, the consumers’ attitudes had the most significant effect on their attitudinal intention to use digital signatures. The significant positive impact of these consumers’ attitudes had relevant implications for the sustainable adoption of the signature system. This indicated that an integrating model with the potential of extending to consumers’ intention analysis was established for digital signature adoption in other countries after the post-Coronavirus period.

The emergence of recreational cycling in Hanoi during the Covid-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVES

This study examined recreational cycling in Hanoi, Vietnam, with a particular focus on changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. The research questions were: (1) Has recreational cycling increased during the Covid-19 pandemic?; (2) If so, what factors have led to the increase?; and (3) What are some of the typical traits and behaviors of recreational cyclists?

METHOD

Face-to-face surveys of 356 recreational cyclists were carried out in March-April 2021 in four areas of inner Hanoi. The survey data were modelled through two binary and one ordinal logit regression.

RESULTS

Recreational cycling has become much more popular in Hanoi during the Covid-19 pandemic, with early morning being the preferred time for this activity (to avoid heavy traffic). A quarter of the participants had starting cycling recreationally since the first lockdown in April 2020, and about three quarters reported having noticed an increase in cycling activity around them. Nearly half of the participants cycled regularly (more than four times per week). The groups that were most likely to have taken up cycling for recreations during the pandemic included men, those living with children in the home, and those not working or studying. Age and income were not significant. People have been embracing cycling as a way to maintain or increase physical activity levels, and to safely socialize at the time when social gatherings are limited, walking is prohibited in some zones, and social distancing rules apply everywhere.

CONCLUSION

To sustain the growth in recreational cycling and widen the time-window for this activity while ensuring everyone's safety, Hanoi's planning and public health sectors should join forces to adopt a combination of 'hard' and 'soft' measures. The authors recommend creating multi-use paths for micromobility modes, launching a public bikesharing scheme, regulating motorised modes, and social marketing that promotes recreational cycling as trendy.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Consumption and Dietary Quality of Rural Households in China

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the food supply chain and thus threatened the food security of many people, while the impact of the pandemic on food consumption of people living in rural areas is still unknown. This study filled in the research gaps by employing a three-wave food consumption survey from 2019 to 2021 conducted in rural China. We adopted a random effect model and Poisson regression to quantify the short-run and long-run impacts of COVID-19 on rural households’ food consumption and dietary quality. We found that rural households increased the consumption of vegetables, aquaculture products and legumes in the short-run, and these changes in consumption behavior even lasted 1 year after lockdown was lifted. However, the positive impact was much smaller in households not engaged in agricultural production. In addition, our results showed that COVID-19 decreased dietary diversity but increased dietary quality for households still engaged in food-related agriculture production. Our study indicated that COVID-19 did not threaten the food security status of rural families in China. On the contrary, rural families, particularly those still engaged in agricultural production, increased the consumption of several foods to strengthen their resistance against the virus.

How COVID-19 Has Influenced the Purchase Patterns of Young Adults in Developed and Developing Economies: Factor Analysis of Shopping Behavior Roots

The paper presents survey results from shopping behavior transformation in developed and developing countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in spring 2020. The survey includes the polling process that covered 515 and 117 young adults, respectively, for two economies and factor analysis to determine the latent intentions of purchase behavior. Shopping patterns were studied for food, medicine, goods of first priority, electronics, clothing, and shoes. According to factor analysis results, we determined nine factors that reveal some similarities in shopping behavior as pro-safe purchases and belt-tightening patterns for both economies. Along with that, we revealed that people from developed countries perceived the greater danger and fear due to the COVID-19 crisis than young adults from developing economy. Based on polling results, the post–COVID-19 shopping channel choice behavior was evaluated for developed and developing economies.

Consumer characteristics and e-grocery services: the primacy of the primary shopper

The literature does not agree on the precise role of socio-demographic characteristics in the adoption of online grocery shopping. This methodological note reviews the literature and shows that the differences in empirical results can to a large extent be explained by the data that is used. In particular, what matters is whether or not the survey that is exploited was targeted at the household member primarily responsible for the grocery shopping. I show that studies that use a non-targeted survey erroneously find that women are keener to adopt e-grocery services, in that the gender gap is simply due to women’s role as homemakers. I also show that such studies tend to underestimate the impact of education and income.

Covid-19 need not spell the death of public transport: Learning from Hanoi's safety measures

OBJECTIVES

In contrast to other cities worldwide, the pandemic has not decimated bus ridership in Hanoi. Notably, the Vietnamese capital has mostly relied on the use of face masks and hand sanitizer during travel, instead of requiring physical distancing on buses. This study examines public bus passengers' levels of compliance with Covid-19 safety measures, and the factors that affect compliance.

METHODS

Face-to-face surveys were administered between 7 September and 3 October 2020, right after the end of the third wave of Covid-19 in Hanoi on 51 bus routes. Exploratory Factor Analysis was carried out to extract factors from attitudinal statements. The extracted factors, passengers' socio-demographic traits, and their bus use patterns were modelled to determine which variables lead to more compliance with Covid-19 safety measures.

RESULTS

We found that 100% of passengers wore face masks (which were mandated), albeit 11% did so incorrectly, while only 28% of passengers used the hand sanitizer provided by bus operators (which was recommended but not required). In addition, 38% of passengers carried their own bottles of hand sanitizer while travelling, despite a relatively low risk of contracting the virus. Women, older passengers, and urbanites were less likely to sanitise their hands. Frequent bus travellers behaved like the population at large with regard to protective measures against Covid-19.

CONCLUSIONS

Hanoi's overall measures - full use of face masks and partial use of hand sanitizer - were sufficient to contain three relatively minor Covid-19 waves while still maintaining regular bus operations most of the time. If other cities were able to reach these levels of compliance, most would be in much better position vis-à-vis public transport use during the pandemic (or an epidemic). Our findings suggest that mandates work much better than awareness raising campaigns, although the latter have a role to play.

Exploring Chinese Consumers' Online Purchase Intentions toward Certified Food Products during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The outbreak of COVID-19 has significantly increased consumers' demands for online groceries, as well as healthy, safe, and better-quality food products. In China, certified food products are commonly perceived as safe and good-quality products. Therefore, this study investigated potential factors that influenced Chinese consumers' online shopping intentions toward certified food during the COVID-19 crisis. An integrated model was proposed by combining the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) with the impact of COVID-19 (IOC). The empirical results of structural equation modelling analysis with 491 usable responses revealed that the proposed model showed a good model fit and satisfactory explanatory power (R2 = 53%) regarding consumers' certified online food shopping intentions during the pandemic. The path analysis demonstrated that attitude, perceived behavioural control, perceived usefulness (PU), and IOC significantly affected consumers' online purchase intentions of certified food. PU and perceived ease of use (PEOU) were important drivers of attitudes, and PEOU significantly influenced PU. Moreover, the IOC was significantly related to most factors, except subjective norms. These findings can be useful for detecting changes in consumer behaviour, and providing suitable strategic implications for stakeholders in the Chinese certified food sector during the current and post-pandemic eras.

The impact of Covid-19 on children's active travel to school in Vietnam

This is among the first studies to provide empirical evidence on active school travel rates and determinants before and after the first Covid-19 lockdown in spring 2020. We have collected and analyzed primary survey data on the school travel patterns of 472 school-age children in Hanoi, Vietnam. The findings show that the Covid-19 pandemic has been quite detrimental: once schools reopened, the prevalence of active school travel decreased from 53% to less than 31%. Where parents, especially mothers, did not face barriers to motorized travel, they assumed the role of chauffeur. Parents who were more concerned about community infections were more motivated to shift children to motorized modes. Walking was more affected than cycling because it was seen as more likely to lead to physical contact and virus transmission. Active school travel dropped more steeply in urban districts (as opposed to poorer, non-urban districts) and in those areas where home-school distances were the largest. It appears that the most common perceptions around barriers to active school travel have been exacerbated during the pandemic as parents and children adapt to "the new normal".

Bus Crash Severity in Hanoi, Vietnam

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in targeting the safety of bus operations worldwide; however, little is known about the determinants of the bus crash severity in developing countries. By estimating an ordered logit model using the bus-involved collision data in Hanoi (Vietnam), spanning the period from 2015 to 2019, this study investigates various factors associated with the crash severity. The results reveal that the severity risk increases for (1) large buses, (2) raining conditions, (3) evening or night, (4) sparse traffic, (5) non-urban areas, (6) roads with at least three lanes, (7) curved roads, (8) two-way roads without a physical barrier, (9) head-on collision, and (10) pedestrian-related crashes. Aside from confirming the crucial roles of a wide range of factors, this research has examined the effects of two determinants (traffic density and crash area) that have not been considered for the cases of developing countries previously. Based on the findings on the impacts of factors, a series of policy recommendations regarding improving road conditions in non-urban areas, promoting walking infrastructure, reminders of high-risk situations for drivers, safety notes when improving bus service quality, and recording bus-related crashes are proposed.

Willingness to Use E-Commerce During Coronavirus Pandemic in Saudi Arabia

The traditional retail market has been declining in recent years, while e-retailing has grown at an accelerated rate during the COVID-19 pandemic's lockdown era. The main purpose of the research is to look at the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on the shifting trends of electronic commerce (e-commerce) in Saudi Arabia. The authors investigate the impacts of factors derived by COVID-19 had on the e-commerce market. One hundred sixty individuals operating in e-commerce in the private sector in Saudi Arabia completed a self-administered questionnaire, including demographic information and three sections of five scale questions that meet the study's objectives. Most participants were males (66.2%), 56.2 % were aged between 30 and 40 years old, 38.75% had 5-10 years of experience in the private sector, 40.6% worked in companies with more than 500 employees, and 43.0% of them from lives in Riyadh. The weighted average of the 1st section is 3.19 ± 0.75, indicating that the trend of the establishment of whether lack of alternatives has a positive implication on the intent of using e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic is «Neutral». The weighted average of the 2nd section is 3.43 ± 1.17, which indicates the trend of determining whether the perceived ease of use has a positive implication on the adoption intent of consumers using e-commerce during a COVID-19 outbreak is «Agree». The weighted average of the 3rd section is 3.29 ± 0.90, which indicates the trend of exploring the underlying factors that leads to losses for many businesses during the crisis is «Neutral». Furthermore, the highest percentage of participants (56.2%) mentioned that their company was not prepared for another lockdown. The research results could be useful for further analysis of different domains of the e-commerce market that developed during the pandemic. They could be utilized for examining opinions about e-commerce and whether the public wanted to switch from offline to online mode of marketing.