Survey: Half of consumers purchase groceries online at least monthly
Consumers are continuing to shop online for groceries – and prefer to buy from grocers’ direct channels when doing so.
A big majority (71%) of consumers have shopped online for groceries, with 50% purchasing groceries online at least once a month, according to a new consumer survey from composable commerce platform provider VTEX. Nearly seven-in-10 (69%) respondents shop online for groceries at least occasionally, and 30% do up to a quarter of all their grocery shopping online.
Shoppers overwhelmingly prefer to buy directly from a grocer’s owned digital channels (52%) compared to national delivery services (27%), according to the survey. Seventy-nine percent of shoppers use loyalty or rewards programs when buying online.
[READ MORE: Online grocery sales hit $9.8 billion in June]
“The modern grocery shopper expects the same ease, clarity and control online that they’ve always experienced in-store,” said Daniela Jurado, executive VP of North America at VTEX. “The challenge, and opportunity, for grocers is to eliminate friction without adding operational complexity. That’s exactly what unified commerce makes possible.”
Respondents also told VTEX that they expect loyalty programs to be accessible via mobile apps (45%), and that they want personalization that reflects their household needs (65%).
When it comes to what is deterring shoppers from buying groceries online more often, 54% cite service fees as a major deterrent. Almost half (49%) are discouraged by unexpected costs at checkout.
“Grocers can’t afford to treat e-commerce as an add-on,” added Jurado. “When consumers prefer your website over third-party marketplace apps and want a more personalized journey, that’s your opportunity to own the experience. Unified commerce is how you deliver it at scale, and without complexity.”
VTEX’s survey was conducted by Dynata in July 2025. It gathered responses from 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18+ to evaluate attitudes, behaviors and friction points related to online grocery shopping.
