Survey sees convenience, not COVID, driving online grocery

NEW YORK — On-line grocery buying is extra fashionable now than it was on the peak of the pandemic, in response to Chicory’s third annual On-line Grocery Usership survey. The digital commerce platform surveyed greater than 1,000 shoppers in January and located 72% bought groceries on-line up to now 90 days. Greater than half (52%) stated they positioned on-line grocery orders as soon as every week.

Digital grocery adoption has elevated steadily over the previous two years, with the most important soar occurring between January 2020 and April 2020, throughout the preliminary wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise in on-line buying isn’t merely a byproduct of the pandemic, nonetheless, with lower than 10% of respondents in the latest survey citing well being and security as their major driver for buying on-line.

Comfort was the main driver of continued e-commerce use. Forty-six % of respondents cited comfort or time constraints as their major motivation for ordering groceries on-line. Product availability or accessibility was the second commonest driver at 19.3%. The problem may develop into extra salient in 2022 as manufacturers and retailers proceed to face provide chain challenges.

“The outcomes of this newest survey re-affirm that digital grocery is right here to remain, as shoppers proceed to prioritize comfort and ease,” stated Yuni Sameshima, co-founder and chief government officer at Chicory.

The survey discovered extra frequent add-to-cart circumstances gained recognition, with the vast majority of customers including gadgets to their on-line carts weekly or a number of occasions every week. This development could also be an indication that customers are utilizing on-line carts to construct their buying lists no matter the place they really full their purchases.

Equally, 40% of respondents reported utilizing digital recipes on a month-to-month foundation to organize for in-store journeys, and 27% reported utilizing them weekly for a similar function. Digital recipes have been the third hottest place the place customers purchased merchandise from a shoppable advert, after coupons and retailer websites.

“Manufacturers seeking to attain immediately’s grocery shopper in high-intent moments should be investing in options that may prolong the on-site expertise to off-platform areas like digital recipes,” Mr. Sameshima stated.

Chicory additionally discovered an general enhance in year-over-year on-line grocery spend. One-in-three shoppers reported spending greater than $100 on a web based order, up nearly 16% from 2021. Pantry staples and provides drove the vast majority of spend for 33% of shoppers, adopted by dairy or meat (18%), snacks (17.6%) and produce (16.6%).

Walmart was the most well-liked on-line grocery retailer for the third 12 months in a row, with Amazon and Instacart holding their second- and third-place spots, respectively. Walmart was the most well-liked on-line vacation spot amongst shoppers ages 45 to 60, whereas Instacart was the most well-liked vacation spot for shoppers ages 18 to 29. Chicory expects extra households will embrace digital-first retailers like Instacart because the youngest technology of respondents matures.