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Duke’s Noah Gibson – The Price of a Good Deal in the Digital Grocery Aisle

Does buy groceries expose your personal data?

By Noah Gibson
January 26, 2026

Are consumers trading their privacy for discounts? A Duke-led study tackles online shopping behavior.

Food isn’t just about taste, it’s a fascinating intersection of biology, chemistry and data collection. In this series, we will dive into the research shaping what we eat and why, from breakthroughs in nutrition and sustainability to online shopping trends and their privacy implications.

When Americans log on to order groceries, they may be making a trade-off they don’t even realize, exchanging personal data for greater convenience.

A federally funded research project is investigating how much consumers value their privacy when shopping online and whether they’re willing to give it up for convenience or discounts.

Researchers at Duke University, the University of Chicago, Tufts University, and Smith College have been working together to understand how technology, consumer behavior, and federal food assistance programs connect in today’s fast-changing marketplace.

The study is part of a three-year grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to examine the social and economic implications of online grocery shopping.

At the heart of the three-phase project is a pressing question: If people knew exactly how much of their data was being collected, would they still shop the same way?

“Retailers use this information to predict future purchases, prompt consumers with recommendations or discounts, and optimize inventory and delivery logistics,” says Noah Gibson, a postdoctoral associate with the World Food Policy Center. “In some cases, these data are also used to build detailed consumer profiles that can be shared with or sold to third-party advertisers.”

Read full article in DukeToday

January 26, 2026