Digital grocery shopping (including mobile) has bright future

A new survey indicates consumers will continue buying groceries online post-pandemic, with strong mobile usage trends.

According to a new survey of 1,000 U.S. adults from Inmar Intelligence, 87% of respondents had shopped online at least once before the pandemic. Of those online shoppers, the majority order between 50 and 75% of their grocery list online, and 19% solely shop online for 100 percent of their grocery list. In a promising sign for mobile grocery sites and apps, one-quarter of respondents order 75% of their groceries with a mobile device, and 20% do all their grocery shopping via mobile. 

When asked if they would return to in-store shopping once vaccines were widely distributed, 28% of respondents said that they wouldn’t because online grocery shopping was so much easier. Another 27% said they may choose a hybrid approach of both online and in-store. About four in 10 (39%) respondents perform 75% of their grocery shopping in-store, 

Half of respondents who shop for groceries online like the general ease and 35% feel that shopping online is a faster process from choosing products to checking out. Close to three in 10 (28%) respondents who shop for groceries online like the ease of checkout, and 19% like the product selection. 
 
“It’s clear from these findings that grocery shopping online has taken the world by storm. After a year or so stuck inside, you’d think that shoppers would jump at the opportunity to get out, but the ease of use, time-efficiency, and wider product selection spanning beyond what their local supermarket provides, makes for a compelling service offering,” said Rob Weisberg, senior VP, e-commerce technology and services at Inmar Intelligence. “As shoppers navigate what it means to go ‘back-to-normal,’ the new normal will represent a mix of in-store and digital shopping.”