eMarketer: U.S. online grocery sales to approach $90 billion in 2020

Grocery e-commerce continues to grow as more consumers develop online shopping habits.

It’s no secret that the pandemic has accelerated the shift to e-commerce, and nowhere is this more evident than in the grocery category. In 2020, U.S. online grocery sales will grow nearly 53%, reaching $89.22 billion in sales. This is an increase of $30.86 billion compared to the same period last year.

By 2023, online grocery sales will reach $129.72 billion, accounting for nearly 10% of total grocery sales.

New habits are driving adoption

Millions of U.S. consumers are turning to online grocery shopping for the first time amid the pandemic. Meanwhile, those who made online purchases here before and after the pandemic are relying even more heavily on these services.

eMarketer projects that there will be 131 million digital grocery shoppers in the U.S. this year, up 41.9% from 2019. And eMarketer doesn’t expect this habit to fade away anytime soon. In fact, the number of digital grocery shoppers will continue to grow steadily, reaching 147.4 million people by the end of the forecast period in 2023.

Research from Aki Technologies and TapResearch echoes these sentiments, finding that 68% of new grocery e-commerce shoppers said they would continue to shop online in the future.

Shop online, curbside pickup

Consumers who have been reluctant to shop in-store and don’t want to pay certain online grocery delivery fees have found a middle ground: curbside pickup.

In July 2020, a study by CommerceNext and CassarCo Strategy and Analytics found that 43% of U.S. internet users tried curbside pickup for the first time during the pandemic, and 27% of consumers shopped online and picked up their orders in-store.

The popularity of this service is also proven by the e-commerce survey conducted by Bizrate Insights. In February, 18% of online shoppers in the United States preferred to pick up their orders in physical stores. Fast forward to June, this number increased to 22%. At the same time, the response rate for curbside pickup increased from 7% to 22%.

"The ease, value and convenience of click and collect will become sticking points for consumers, and this trend will continue long after the pandemic is over," Liu said.

Retailers step up delivery efforts, improve customer experience

Over the course of the pandemic, retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, Kroger, Target and FreshDirect have met the growing demand. Many have opened more delivery windows, offered express delivery services and expanded options for buying groceries online.

199IT.com Originally compiled from: eMarketer. Please do not reprint without authorization