Here’s what customers want from online grocery shopping experiences

A large majority of surveyed consumers agree on a few key aspects of online grocery shopping they consider important.

According to the latest Consumer Trends Tracker survey from consumer data science company Dunnhumby, 81% of respondents say easy-to-shop websites and apps are important to them. Another 78% want online grocery retailers to have more convenient delivery and pick up time slots.

Both of these figures are up 4% from the July 2022 edition of Consumer Trends Tracker. Among respondents aged 55 and over, ease and convenience are even more important. In this age group, 84% say easy-to-shop websites and apps are important to them and 81% want convenient delivery/pick-up time slots available.

In addition, respondents with children are 16% more likely to interact with a store’s app and have a 10% greater need for the retailer to pick products as well as they would, compared to respondents without children.

Inflation impacts grocery shoppers

The survey also asked respondents a range of questions about inflation and financial concerns, and found that perceived worries about the economy may be worse than reality.

For example, respondents believe that grocery retailers are earning a 35.2% net profit margin, 14 times higher than grocers’ actual net profit margin average of 2.5%, and that food-at-home inflation is 24.3%, double the roughly 12% annual rate most recently reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

However, surveyed consumers who reported they would have difficulty covering an unexpected expense of $400 dropped from 64% in July to 60% among consumers surveyed in November 2022. In addition, 48% of most recent respondents reported they are getting the kind of food they want to eat, compared to 43% in July 2022.

Consumers want retailers to help them make healthy choices

More than four in 10 44%) respondents said it is very or extremely important for retailers to help them make healthy choices, an increase of 3% from the July 2022 survey.

In addition, 48% reported they choose healthy foods while shopping (up 2%), 40% read diet and nutrition information (up 2%) and 29% are buying products for a specific diet when they shop.

Other key findings include:

• When asked about 2023, only 22% of respondents predicted inflation and the state of the country will get better. However, 47% of respondents predicted inflation and the state of the country would improve three years from now. Over a five-year period, 54% of respondents are optimistic that their own finances and the state of the country will improve.
• For 2023, 31% of respondents aged 18-34, believe their finances and the state of the country will get better, compared to just 13% of respondents over 65. Over three- and five-year timeframes, there were no significant differences by respondent age segment.
• States with the highest rate of respondents reporting financial insecurity (all 75%) are Oregon, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and West Virginia. The states with the lowest rates of financial insecurity (all 45%) are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Delaware.

[Read more: Survey: Online grocery shoppers have unique habits]

For this study, Dunnhumby interviewed roughly 2,000 consumers in November 2022, representative of the U.S. grocery shopper nationwide.