During August 2022, over 68 million households shopped online either via delivery, pickup, or ship to home, down roughly 1% compared to August 2021.
Zooming out, the numbers are more favorable and show a massive consumer shift towards grocery e-commerce over the past three years. According to Brick Meets Click/Mercatus, the number of monthly active users who went online to purchase groceries was up 23% from 2020 and up 116% from 2019.
In terms of total sales, online grocery sales totaled $8.5bn in August 2022, a drop from $8.6bn in August 2021 but a significant increase from just $2bn in August 2019.
The average weekly grocery spend was up 14% to just over $200 in August 2022 compared to one year ago, which Brick Meets Click/Mercatus, attributes to inflation.
Shoppers are also branching out from the grocery channel and frequenting more economical retail outlets as both Mass and Dollar retailers reported a larger user base for the month of August compared to the previous year.
“Despite the current inflationary environment, a significant number of grocery customers continue to shop using online channels,” said Sylvain Perrier, president and CEO, Mercatus.
In order to retain shopper interest and loyalty, retailers must focus on ways of providing added value to its customers, said Perrier.
"Customers crave convenience, but they also want to find ways to save money. Encouraging customers to use lower-priced pickup services is one opportunity. Elevating and showcasing private label products online is another. Also consider integrating digital coupons into your first-party web and mobile experiences.”
