With such growing influence and its implications for both consumers and retailers, it’s worth knowing the importance of grocery shopping online. To help, here we share some of the top statistics about online grocery shopping you should know.
Whether you’re resilient in scribbling out paper lists to take to the store or have been shopping online for groceries for months, the trend has made a significant impact on how people get the food they need to feed themselves and their families. Particularly during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, online grocery shopping became the new normal for many families.
Online Grocery Shopping and the Economy
Going online can be a significant change for brick-and-mortar supermarkets who can’t expand to a digital space. Here are some interesting stats about how this new trend affects the overall economy and retail market.
- $23.9 billion in online grocery sales were totaled in 2018
- 1.6% of total sales were through an online grocer
- 2.6 of E-commerce was from food and beverage sales
- Online grocery sales increased by 70% from 2017-2018
- 3% of grocery sales came from e-grocery markets
- By 2020, 10% of grocery sales are expected to come from e-grocery markets
- China has the most online grocery sales with $50.9 billion in online sales
- 19% of grocery shopping is done online in China
- 14% of grocery shopping is done online in South Korea
- 7% of grocery shopping is done online in the United Kingdom
- 5% of grocery shopping is done online in France
- 2% of grocery shopping is done online in Australia
- By 2023, online grocery sales are expected to be at $38.16 billion
- Online grocery sales in the United States grew 22% in 2019
Who Does Online Grocery Shopping?
So if online grocery shopping is so popular, who exactly is doing the ordering? Here we share some key things you should know about who makes up this online-only shopping population.
- 10% of consumers in the United States shop online for groceries on a regular basis
- 23.4% of consumers have made at least one online food purchase a year in 2017
- In 2012, only 14.3% of consumers made a grocery purchase online
- 14% make all or mostly all of their grocery purchases online
- 47% of Millennials in the United States complete their grocery shopping online
- 50% of consumers make at least some grocery purchases through an online platform
- 25% of grocery shoppers plan to do at least 40% of their shopping online
- 59% of consumers plan to buy at least some of their groceries through an online service
- 49% of online grocery shoppers are women
- 70% of primary household shoppers are women
- 53% of independent shoppers were women
- 38% of online shoppers are Millennials
- 29% of online grocery shoppers are Gen Xers
- 14% of online grocery shoppers are Baby Boomers
- 39% of online grocery shoppers age 60 or over used an online retailer for the first time in 2020
- 44 years old is the average age for grocery shoppers in the United States
- 29% of people with an income less than $50,000 have purchased groceries online
- 38% of consumers with an income between $50,000-$100,000 have purchased groceries online
- 45% of consumers with an income over $100,000 have purchased groceries online
How to People Shop Online for Groceries?
The obvious answer: online. But what influences their decision and from what platform do they access their groceries from? Here we share how online grocery shopping is advancing with different methods of technology.
- 6% of all consumers have used a computer to shop for groceries online
- 2% of all consumers have used their mobile device to shop for groceries online
- 3.1% of grocery shoppers used voice-based ordering to make a purchase
- 73.4% of shoppers chose to not use a voice-based ordering resource to place their order due to the fear that they couldn’t see what they were actually purchasing
- 69.2% of shoppers didn’t use voice-based technology to place their order because they believed it was too difficult to place a large order
- 43% of consumers who don’t use voice shopping believe it’s more of a hassle to navigate than the potential benefits it could glean
- 50% of consumers who don’t use a voice shopping service don’t see the point in using the resource
- 75% of online grocery shoppers continue to shop with the retailer they started out with
- 1-2 hours is the time Instacart personal shoppers can deliver groceries to consumers
- Instacart charges $4 for 2-hour deliveries and $15 for 1-hour deliveries in 2015
- $700 million worth of groceries were sold through Instacart during the first two weeks of April
- Staple pantry products were the most commonly purchased items through online grocery shopping
- 27.5% of consumers purchased staple pantry items
- Spices were the second most popular items purchased through online grocery stores
- 20.9% of consumers purchased specialist ingredients at least once online
- 19.7% of consumers purchased beverages at least once online
- 15.2% of consumers purchased personal care items at least once online
- 8.6% of consumers purchased fresh produce online at least once
- 5.7% of consumers purchased meats, fish or other deli items online at least once
- 3.5% of consumers purchased ingredients intended for a special occasion at least once through an online grocer
Who Sells Groceries Online?
Digital shoppers are just one side of the story. Retailers and supermarkets are also exploring into this online grocery shopping trend and seeing impressive rewards. Chances are, your local grocery store may already be exploring and expanding into selling you groceries online through their website or mobile app. Here are some stats about who leads the charge in offering groceries online.
- 81% of online grocery sales were attributed to the top 7 online grocers in 2018
- 34% of online grocery sales came from Amazon/Whole Foods providers
- $27 per hour is the average earnings for professional personal grocery shoppers
- 26% of online grocery sales were from Walmart
- Walmart’s average growth is reported to be at 40%
- 16% of consumers have purchased groceries from Target in the past 12 months
- Sales of online groceries increased 7.2% from 2019-2020
- 24% of online grocery sales were from a supermarket or other foods store
- 11% of online grocery shoppers did their shopping through Kroger stores
- 8.2% of consumers have purchased groceries online within the last 12 months
- Online sales for Walmart groceries increased 15% from 2019-2020
- 8.9% of online grocery shoppers visited Costco’s resources
- 8.4% of online grocery shoppers purchased through Whole Foods Markets locations
- 6.7% of consumers purchased groceries online from Publix
- 40% of the grocery market is taken up by smaller retailers
- 68% of online grocery shoppers look for freshness of perishable items when doing their shopping
- 67% of consumers who do their grocery shopping online look for affordable prices
- 63% of consumers look for online shopping platforms that are convenient to use
- Many online retailers have apps and other services to help consumers make their purchases online and choose to have their products delivered or picked up in-store.
- 10.3% of online grocery shoppers purchased all or most of their groceries through Amazon
- 13.1% of online grocery shoppers purchased all or most of their groceries at Walmart
- Walmart and Kroger doubled their number of shoppers who went online
- Target tripled their number of shoppers who purchased online
- Online grocery shoppers purchased from 2.3 retailers on average
- 66% of Amazon Prime shoppers purchased groceries online through Amazon
- 33% of non-Amazon Prime members purchased through Amazon
Online Shopper Behavior
People who by their groceries online tend to have some different habits and tendencies compared to grocery shoppers who prefer in-store stocking up. Technology options have also opened the door to new and innovative ways to make getting groceries online even easier and fun. Here we share some key insights about what people do in their approach to online grocery shopping.
- Online shoppers prefer receiving their groceries at home through delivery four times more than visiting the store with curbside pickup
- 22.8% of online grocery shoppers consider getting a brand that they haven’t purchased before
- 53.5% of in-store shoppers consider buying a product or brand they haven’t purchased before
- 22% of consumers indicated that they grocery shop online at least once per week
- Many online shoppers use mobile applications to order online and save their grocery lists, making online grocery shopping fast and convenient.
- Consumers shop from an average of 5 categories of groceries when shopping online
- Essential food items are a popular category for online grocery purchases
- 39.7% of online grocery shoppers look at new brands for consideration when shopping
- 61.4% of in-store shoppers search out new brands to consider purchasing
- 16.3% of consumers who grocery shop online are influenced by a product’s packaging and design
- 37.2% of in-store shoppers are influenced by the look or design of the packaging material of their product or food
- 10% of homeware products are purchased online
- 19% of apparel is purchased online
Why Do People Shop Online for Groceries?
Getting groceries delivered to you or picked up curbside can come with a plethora of benefits. Here we share some stats about why people choose to go online to do their grocery shopping.
- 53% of online grocery shoppers say that it saves them time
- 50% of online grocery shoppers said that it’s more convenient
- 31% of grocery shoppers said an advantage of going online was so that they can find items that they might not be able to get in-store
- 43% of online grocery shoppers indicated that they were extremely likely or very likely to continue buying groceries online following the COVID-19 pandemic
- 20% of online grocery shoppers said that it saves them time
- 19% of online grocery shoppers said their approach provides a more robust selection of what they’re looking for
- 17% of online shoppers appreciate the ability to save a shopping list
Online Grocery Shopping and Spending
In addition to overall buyer behavior, the amount people spend online can also be different. Here we share some information on this important distinction when it comes to maintaining your digital wallet.
- Shoppers spend $40 more on average when shopping online than in-store
- $90.61 is the average online grocery shopping order
- $60 per week is the average order for single shoppers
- $118 per week is the average order for households
- $71.76 is the average order for curbside pickup online orders
- $55.18 is the average order for in-store shoppers
- 25% of a grocery shopper’s budget is spent on sweets or processed foods
- In April 2020, online purchases of wine, beer and spirits increased 74%
The Future of Online Grocery Shopping
With such popularity, the trend of online grocery shopping is only expected to increase. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the trend of online shopping for groceries has only increased – and in a dramatic way. Here we share some statistics about the predictions people have about what’s next for online grocery sales and platforms.
- 70% of consumers shopping online is the prediction for 2020
- 62.% percent of people expect to buy groceries online during the next 12 months
- $59.5 billion is the sales estimate for online grocery sales to reach by 2023
- The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is expected to alter the future of the grocery shopping industry.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers were advised to limit their trips to the grocery store, also involving closing of locations and other retail restrictions.
- Online grocery sales are expected to grow at least 40% in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 49% of online grocery shoppers said that they started buying more or some groceries online due the the COVID-19 pandemic
- 26% of consumers indicated they started purchasing groceries online in the spring of 2020
- 10.5% of shoppers indicated they were shopping online for groceries less due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 67% of consumers indicated that they are purchasing more products and items online than before
- 26% of online grocery shoppers said that they were purchasing from a specific retailer for the first time
- In April 2020, the option to buy online and pickup in store soared 208% year-over-year
- 41% indicated that they are purchasing groceries online more often than before the COVID-19 pandemic came about
- 30% of consumers who haven’t purchased groceries online said that they are likely to order online within the next three months for either home delivery or store pickup Following the pandemic, online grocery sales are expected to remain between 5-10% for consumers
- By 2021, it is estimated that 8.6% of grocery retail will be spent online
- By 2022, 9.7% of all U.S. grocery retail will be made online
Need Groceries? Shop Online
Online grocery shopping has become a common trend for households of all ages. Whether you’re already purchasing most of your items online or are interested in branching out into new opportunities, online shopping for groceries can be an easy and efficient way to restock your fridge and pantry shelves.
Convinced to try it for yourself? Chances are your local grocery store already has an online option you can get in on. Choose to pick-up your items from the store curb or have them delivered to your front door. You can also take advantage of third party grocery services like Instacart or Shipt to get your groceries from wherever you are.
What do you do when you discover you’re out of something in the kitchen? For some, when they realize they’re out of their sandwich bread or use up the last dollop of yogurt for breakfat, they write it on a list to take to the store at some point during their busy week.
For others, they order it online.
While it may initially sound like an intriguing idea for those who haven’t tried it yet, online grocery shopping has soared as a fast, efficient and convenient way to restock your pantry drawers and refrigerator shelves.
A big thank you to SpendMeNot, Supermarket News, eMarketer, Statista, CNBC, OneSpace, Invespcro, Digital Commerce 360, Business Insider, and CreditDonkeyfor their contributions to this list of online grocery shopping stats!