Trends Report

US Online Grocery Snapshot: Q1 2020

IRI Data Shows Which Essentials Shoppers Most Frequently Buy Online

April 16th, 2020
Sucharita Kodali, VP, Principal Analyst
Sucharita Kodali VP, Principal Analyst
With contributors:
Fiona Swerdlow , Nicole Murgia , Scott Compton

Summary

Grocery is one of the largest retail sectors in the US, but online grocery has had mixed uptake. US shoppers frequently purchase nonedible grocery items like household, health, and beauty products online, but they are far less likely to buy food/edibles online frequently. When shoppers do buy edibles, they are more likely to order them online and pick them up in stores. The largest retailers in the world are nonetheless eager to "crack the online grocery code." Why? If online grocery gets anywhere near the online penetration of a category like electronics, it would be enormous in terms of dollar volume. Note: IRI gathered this data at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in the US in early March. Where relevant, we have included data from the pandemic crisis to inform conclusions and recommendations.

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