How Product Detail Pages in Online Grocery Retail Influence Purchasing Decisions

What information do consumers need to see immediately on a product detail page—and what factors influence their willingness to buy when shopping for groceries online?

A recent study from the Business Administration–Food Management program at DHBW Heilbronn explores this question using organic food as an example.

In online grocery retail, the product detail page plays a central role: Consumers can neither pick up the product nor immediately view packaging information as they would in a brick-and-mortar store. This makes it all the more important to determine what information should be immediately visible and how it should be presented.

The study by Marieke Schweikert and Prof. Dr. Carolyn Hutter is based on an online survey of 242 participants as well as a choice-based conjoint analysis. Among other things, the study examined the importance of customer reviews, product information, other product varieties, and payment options.

The results show which information is relevant to consumers in the immediately visible “above-the-fold” area and provide concrete recommendations for a user-oriented design of product detail pages.

These findings are particularly relevant for food manufacturers, brands, retailers, and e-commerce managers who present their products in digital retail and wish to optimize the customer journey on product detail pages.

The study was conducted as part of the Business Administration–Food Management program at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Heilbronn. The program combines business management issues with specific topics in the food industry and regularly examines current challenges in retail, manufacturing, and foodservice: https://www.heilbronn.dhbw.de/studium/bachelor-angebote/bwl-food-management/studieninhalte-und-profil/

The white paper “Strategically Placing Information in Online Stores: Product Detail Pages Using Organic Foods as an Example” by Marieke Schweikert and Carolyn Hutter (2026) is available free of charge: https://www.food-management.online/kopie-von-11-nachhaltigkeitsberichter