Five major trends in online grocery consumption in the United States! Home delivery is the key

As more and more consumers develop the habit of online shopping, grocery e-commerce continues to grow. In 2020, online grocery sales in the United States will increase by nearly 53%, reaching $892.2 billion in sales. Under this trend, consumers have also formed some habits for buying groceries online.

A new study from Oracle shows that 53% of shoppers have purchased groceries online during the pandemic , with 37% saying they stock up more frequently online than in-store. In addition, 93% of respondents said they started buying groceries online after the pandemic, and 74% said they will buy groceries online more than before.

Oracle 's survey of 521 U.S. consumers' shopping habits revealed five major trends in consumers' online grocery shopping.

1. Reliance on home delivery

When ordering groceries online, the vast majority of consumers choose home delivery for greater convenience. In Oracle 's survey, 72% of consumers insisted on home delivery, 13% said they would order online and pick up the goods in the store, and 15% chose curbside pickup.

2. Loyalty has decreased

During the pandemic, most shoppers chose store brands or substitutes for store brands when buying groceries online. In addition, 34% of people tried new brands and planned to abandon old brands. As online grocery shopping options become more diverse, consumer loyalty has also decreased, and they are more inclined to new brands.

3. Generation X is the main consumer of online grocery shopping

Of all the age groups surveyed, Generation X (40-54) had the highest rate of online grocery shopping at 72%. Generation Z (18-24) had 61%, while Millennials (25-39) had 60%. In addition, while Baby Boomers (55+) had the lowest rate of online grocery shopping, the number of people in this age group ordering groceries increased by 173% during the pandemic .

4. Gradually reduce stockpiling

At the beginning of the epidemic, consumers were frantically stockpiling goods, even to the point of looting. As the epidemic has eased relatively, people have gradually reduced their stockpiling, and only 28% of the respondents have plans to stockpile some household necessities, including toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc.

5. Prefer discounts

Compared with offline grocery shopping, consumers pay more attention to the quality and price of online grocery shopping. 63% of respondents said that online ordering has more diverse options and they will research and compare products online before purchasing. 56% of shoppers also said that they like to use coupons and are willing to spend more time looking for the best deal.

In summary, although online grocery is developing rapidly in the United States, consumers have higher requirements when shopping for groceries online. Only by understanding consumers' shopping habits can we gain a foothold in the online grocery market and obtain long-term development momentum.

Cross-border e-commerce market

Online Grocery

Home delivery