Do liberals want curbside pickup more than conservatives? Contactless shopping as protectionary action against the COVID-19 pandemic

Consumers showed a dramatically increased interest in contactless shopping in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the protection motivation theory, this study investigated how contactless shopping grew as a protectionary action against COVID-19. Findings from a nationwide online survey (n = 311) confirmed the impact of politicization of the pandemic on consumer responses for contactless shopping intention and the significance of threat and coping appraisals in taking protectionary actions. This study adds knowledge to the existing literature on contactless shopping and protection motivation theory. Results imply that retailers must invest in contactless shopping and provide an in-store shopping environment that prioritizes the health and safety of shoppers and employees to decrease the threat of virus infection during shopping. However, in doing so, retailers are recommended to develop different marketing strategies regarding contactless shopping based on consumers' political orientations.