Online grocery sales sustain strong growth rate in Q1 2026
Digital grocery sales continued an impressive trend in the first three months of the year.
Since surging more than 20% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2024, total U.S. online grocery sales have sustained that rate of growth for six consecutive quarters. The ongoing monthly Brick Meets Click grocery shopper survey indicates this continued growth is being fueled by quicker fulfillment of delivery and ship-to-home orders.
According to the survey, the online share of total grocery spending has climbed dramatically on a quarterly basis, expanding from less than 15% at the end of the third quarter of 2024 to more than 19% in the first quarter of 2026. When excluding ship-to-home, a service Brick Meets Click says most regional grocers do not offer, the online share of total spending jumped from 12% to nearly 16% during the same period.
During the first quarter of 2026, Brick Meets Click estimates that same-day online grocery orders accounted for nearly 80% of delivery orders and more than 30% of ship-to-home orders across all retail formats, while ultra-fast fulfillment (within one hour or less) made up 18% of all delivery orders and 10% of ship-to-home orders.
Amazon and Walmart expand market share
Brick Meets Click analysis indicates that innovations in delivery and ship-to-home, which are growing at nearly three times the rate of pickup orders, allowed Amazon and Walmart to capture more market share during the quarter:
- Walmart has achieved larger share gains than Amazon and is now approaching a 40% share of total U.S. online grocery sales. Delivery has propelled this growth, according to Brick Meets Click, specifically via orders received within one hour of checkout.
- Amazon has captured share gains by expanding the availability of fresh groceries within its same-day fulfillment network, which recently introduced sub-same-day options with even faster cycle times.
[READ MORE: How to keep up with Amazon and Walmart ultra-fast delivery]
“Given this competitive activity, the big question for traditional grocers – and especially regionals – is how they will accelerate growth and remain relevant while protecting profit margins and the customer experience,” said David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click.
The Brick Meets Click grocery shopping survey is an ongoing independent research initiative created and conducted by the team at Brick Meets Click. The monthly survey began in March 2020 and surveys around 1,500 adults, 18 years and older, who participated in the household’s grocery shopping. Responses are geographically representative of the U.S. and weighted by age and income to reflect the national population of adults, 18 years and older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
