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Swap and Save: How a Button Shapes Lasting Online Grocery Shopping Behavior

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: A well-documented phenomenon in the literature is that consumers exhibit persistence in their choices. Using data from the mineral water category on a price comparison platform that delivers real-time prompts of cheaper alternatives through "swap and save" buttons, this study examines whether and how these prompts influence persistent product choices in online grocery shopping. The findings reveal that shoppers who switched to an alternative product after receiving a prompt were 23.7 percentage points more likely to select that alternative product in subsequent visits, with this effect lasting for up to 10 shopping trips. Our analysis suggests that this sustained impact is driven not by long-term cost savings but by product discovery enabled through these real-time prompts.

Source: Marketing Science

DOI: 10.1287/mksc.2025.0541

Authors: Rubén Gonzálvez, Xiaolin Li, Sarit Weisburd, Xinrong Zhu

Institutions: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Imperial College London

Language: English

Topic: Consumer Market Behavior and Pricing

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W4406862001

FWCI:

Cites: 45

Cited by:

Related to: 10