Residents’consumption behavior has changed significantly during public health emergencies. However, whether the altered pattern of behavior persists over time, whether the degree of change differs among different population groups, and the underlying mechanisms behind the change still need scientific analysis and exploration. This article utilizes individual-level local consumption data to explore the long-term impact of public health emergencies on the proportion of consumers’online grocery shopping, the heterogeneity of this impact among different groups, as well as the underlying mechanisms. This article proposes that public health emergencies will sustainably change residents’local consumption behavior through three mechanisms: Information acquisition, disease avoidance, and social demand improvement. The empirical results show that in the post-period, the proportion of residents’online grocery shopping has increased by an average of 3% compared to the pre-period. This increase is more pronounced among groups who previously preferred in-store consumption. Further empirical analysis also verifies the mechanisms behind these results. This research helps the government and retail companies understand the long-term impact of public health emergencies on residents’local consumption behavior and provides insights into the development of online grocery shopping services in the post-period.