Online Grocery Shopping a Hardy Trend, Per New Research
While COVID may have prompted the mass exodus from in-person grocery shopping to online, recent research suggests that while the swing away from brick-and-mortar may not be as drastic, online grocery shopping is here to stay.
According to e-commerce sales data from Signifyd, online grocery sales are up 23% compared to last year since January, and the number of new online grocery shoppers also increased, up 10%. Along with the new subset of consumers entering the mix, research suggests curbed inflation may also be driving the trend.
E-commerce inflation in grocery is flat, down 0.1% from a year ago. Comparatively, in May 2023, the year-over-year inflation rate reached 6.7% in grocery.
Overall, grocery is gaining at a healthy pace. Sales are up 30% year-over-year in May, pointing to a post-pandemic “new normal,” according to Signifyd. Curbside pickup remains a popular choice, with these orders up 21% since January, and home delivery orders up by 25% in the same time period.
[Get more shopper insights — are consumers prioritizing value or brand loyalty?]
“This is being heavily driven by an increase in order count — and we found these orders are coming from a significantly higher number of online grocery shoppers than were buying online just a year ago,” said Signifyd data analyst Phelim Killough.
