Survey: Walmart beats Amazon in two key e-commerce areas

Amazon is the top U.S. e-commerce retailer, but Walmart edges it out in one product category and one part of its value proposition.

According to a new quarterly study of 1,000 U.S. consumers from online selling platform JungleScout, while respondents still favor shopping on Amazon for most products, Walmart edges out Amazon in the grocery category. Over half (51%) of Walmart.com shoppers purchased groceries there in recent months, compared to 23% of Amazon.com shoppers who did so. Fifty percent of consumers shop on Walmart.com because they like the site's prices and are familiar with its products.

Amazon leads online shopping, with 71% of respondents saying they've shopped there in recent months, followed by 39% shopping on Walmart.com, 20% on Target.com, and 19% on eBay.com. JungleScout data reveals a continued decline when it comes to in-store shopping at certain large retail stores, such as Best Buy, Kohl's, and Home Depot.

The survey also indicates consumers now consider fast and free shipping essential. Eighty percent of respondents expect free shipping when ordering a certain dollar amount of products, and 66% expect free shipping for all online orders.

In addition, more than nine in 10 (91%) respondents expect to receive an online order within a week, and 9% expect it the same day. Seven in 10 stated they would be upset if an order didn't arrive on time.

Other notable findings include:

• 27% of respondents say they are looking for pre-owned products when they shop online, and 44% have bought or sold pre-owned items over the last year.
• 32% of respondents say their overall spending decreased in early 2021, 43% said it stayed the same, and 26% said it increased. But 39% say their online spending increased (23% expect that to continue), and 37% say their Amazon spending increased (25% expect that to continue).
• 37% of consumers are saying they are buying more groceries and 35% are buying more cleaning supplies. Alternatively, more than 20% of consumers are buying less clothing and fewer electronics and home items.