Pensioner’s experience of online grocery shopping in Pretoria
Population: Target and Accessible Population
Target Population:
The target population denotes the entirety of individuals that the research will be concerned with studying. In this context, the target population is all pensioners (aged 60 and above) in Pretoria who have the potential to buy groceries online. These stakeholders have been of great interest because they represent a demographic that hasn’t yet fully adapted to technological changes but would benefit most from the technology’s ability to use convenience as a selling point (Kheirandish, 2021).
Accessible Population:
The accessible population is defined as those in the target population who the researcher can feasibly reach and collect data from. In this case, the accessible population would be defined as pensioners, living in specific residential areas within Pretoria. A sample drawn from this accessible population will enable the findings of the study to be grounded in studying a sample that is actually reachable by the researcher.
Unit of Analysis
Unit of Analysis
Unit of analysis is important for the study, which skills and carry on various data. It refers to the main entity that is being studied. It can be an individual, a group such as a community or an organisation, social interactions when humans share their decision, or even circumstances under which we study (Nkwe, 2022).
In this research, Individual pensioners who took part in online grocery shopping would be the unit of analysis. We will be asking for their sort questions on self-completed questionnaires and then interviews will be recurred in order to observe how they experience, perceive and understand technological activity through grocery shopping online.
Population Parameters
The population parameters represent characteristics of the individuals in the population. In this study, our parameters are:
Age: Participants were required to be 60 years and older, as this is the minimum age for members of the Baby Boomer generation.
Location: Participants must reside in Pretoria, South Africa.
Technology Use: You must have some experience with shopping for groceries online. This might have happened frequently, occasionally, or rarely so far (Hoffman, 2022).
Health Status: Participants must be in sufficient health to engage with technologies and complete interviews/questionnaires.
Data Analysis
Qualitative data analysis of the qualitative data will be performed using thematic analysis, which detects, analyses and reports themes within the data. This involves several steps.
All interviews will be transcribed verbatim; this will enable us to consider in detail the exact language and expressions used by participants .
Familiarisation: The researcher gets to know the data and becomes familiar with its content. This involves reading the transcripts multiple times (Oelofse, 2020).
Participants, sons and daughters, attended and were interviewed about their experiences Growing up in an intergenerational family may have lasting impacts. The interviews will be broken down into lines and analysed line by line, a commonly used method to capture the breadth of experience. This way of coding can form the foundation of more complex approaches. For example, this method allows for the identification of themes that transcend personal experience and instead are related to the research aim. For instance, this project aims to understand young people’s personal experiences, which can inform broader questions around diversity and belonging. It is an inductive process because we don’t already have hypotheses relating to the research theme. Instead, the themes emerge from the data. Inductive coding and thematic analysis are appropriate because this is a foundational piece of work. It will be informative to explore each intergenerational experience and draw out questions of significance to the research themes, namely diversity and belonging (Ndlovu, 2023).
Theme Development: Upon theme coding, the recurring experiences and perceptions of pensioners in reference to online grocery shopping will be highlighted.
In the final stage, the researcher will interpret the results in relation to both the research questions and objectives, and to the overall aim of the project. Overall, this model offers a structured approach to the research process in which the different components – problem, context, aim, questions, resources and methods – help to shape each other (Tsatsi, 2022).
Therefore this kind of analysis was appropriate because finding out if pensioners really understood and accepted the technology of the products they were testing for is the focus of the study.
Trustworthiness
One key element of trustworthiness in qualitative research is determining the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. This study will use the following dimensions of trustworthiness.
Credibility concerns the truth of the findings. Member checks will be used where the respondents will independently confirm the findings through reading an account of what they said.
Transferability refers to whether the findings could apply to other situations. Descriptions of the context in which the research took place and the participants will be given, so that others can decide whether the findings would be relevant in other circumstances (Horaeb, 2022).
Dependability meanwhile, involves determining if the data is consistent over time. Recording an audit trail of the research process, decisions and any changes in the study design will bolster dependability.
Confirmability will encourage findings to flow from the participants, rather than the researcher. Reflexivity will be utilized, prompting the researcher to reflect on their own biases and their influence on data-gathering and analysis.
Second, we will employ triangulation, whereby we use multiple data-collection procedures – for example, both interviews and questionnaires – to gain a thicker and richer picture of the phenomenon of interest (Sadhai, 2023).
Ethical Consideration
In research involving human participants, maintaining ethical standards is a paramount consideration. The following ethical principles will be adhered to in this study.
Informed Consent: Participants will be given comprehensive information about the purpose of the study, the procedures involved, and the potential risks of the study. Informed consent obtained in writing (Oyebamiji, 2021).
Confidentiality: The identities of participants and your written responses will remain anonymous. No other respondent will see any of your data, and we will never reveal your name or any indications of identity to you or any other participant. You can note your chosen alias in the box provided on the form. Access: The research team will have access to your written responses only and your demographic data formed into a summary report. In all instances, your name and email address will be kept separate and deleted from all files (Kheirandish, 2021).
Right to withdraw: Tell them that they can withdraw from the study at any time.
Commitment to Ethical Guidelines: This study will be conducted in accordance with International Institute of Education (IIE) guidelines for ethical behavior in the conduct of research and with respect for the dignity, worth and autonomy of prospective participants.
Limitations
This research study may encounter several limitations:
We also want to acknowledge at the outset how limited our accessible population might be and the impact this might have on the possibility of achieving data saturation. The sample size, 27, might not be large enough to include the journey of all pensioners and such a small sample size may mean that our findings cannot be generalised (Nkwe, 2022).
Time restrictions: Time constraints can limit the scope of interviews and the follow-ups required to gather more detailed information.
Self-report Bias: Because the study relies on a self-report of experience (either by counting or deciding), participants might be inclined to give an answer that meets social expectations, and the responses might not capture reality as it truly is.
Technological challenges: some pensioners lack sufficient experience with technology, which could make it hard for them to complete online questionnaires or interviews, and which might mean that their opinions are not taken into account.
Any restriction will be considered in light of its possible effect on the research conclusions, and will be minimised as much as possible (Hoffman, 2022).
Anticipated contribution
The study will make three main contributions to the field of strategic management: first, it will enhance scholarly knowledge surrounding the technology adoption processes of Baby Boomers in online grocery shopping; second, it will advance previous research examining the adaption of new technologies to online grocery shopping by providing insights into a specific generation; and third, it will outline the important factors that drive technology adoption for Baby Boomers in online grocery shopping, allowing us to predict and influence the behaviour and decisions of Baby Boomers (Oelofse, 2020).
Improve knowledge of how pensioners use technology, and thereby give businesses more insight into the needs and tastes of the elderly.
Build upon what is already known about consumer behaviour in digital contexts – an area which is under-researched for older adults.
Let policymakers and service providers know what older adults need in relation to technologies, so that they can develop programmes and create accessible strategies to address this aging population. The research can therefore relate these results to the broader context of strategic management, which will lend support to the research’s academic relevance and practical impact, justifying its acceptance and the execution of its design (Ndlovu, 2023).
