2023 Online Grocery Shopping Trends
Consumers have continued regularly buying groceries online — learn how to meet customers where they are in 2023 and beyond.
Online grocery shopping has become a standard part of consumers’ daily routines. While the grocery space has changed dramatically over the past few years, the convenience of getting groceries and other household items delievered isn’t going anywhere.
We wanted to dig into how people are shopping in 2023. Who’s shopping for groceries online? What do they love about this service? How can grocery retailers and brands better accommodate the desires of today’s shopper, and reach them where they are?
We’ll get into it. We surveyed approximately 1,000 American consumers — read on to learn how they shop.
How popular is online grocery shopping in 2023?
In short: very. In the past 90 days, the majority (72%) of American consumers have purchased groceries online, the same percentage as last year. In fact, 56% of qualified respondents say that they’re ordering online more frequently than they were at this time last year.
Approximately 40% of respondents report ordering groceries online weekly. That’s an incredible amount of recurring revenue for stores willing to continue to grow their grocery delivery services.
And as for what people are buying, snack foods were the most popular answer — but all grocery categories were well-represented. People are no longer afraid to order perishables online, so consumers are ordering everything from meat and dairy to fruits and vegetables online on a regular basis.
→ Want to learn more about aisle-by-aisle online shopping trends? Read our Top Grocery Trends By Category report.
Why do consumers love grocery delivery?
Convenience
Unsurprisingly, the majority of survey respondents cite convenience as the primary driver for their decision to order groceries online. For most, it started as a way to stay safe in early COVID, but the habit stuck due to convenience and ease. From busy parents in suburbs who don’t want to pack up the kids and drive to the store, to city-dwellers without access to affordable big-box grocery stores, people simply find it easier to shop online. Both instant grocery delivery and pre-planned orders help shoppers make better use of their time.
Comparing prices and shopping smart
The second most popular reason consumers shop for groceries online is price — more than one-third of consumers (37%) feel that online grocery shopping is usually less expensive than in-store shopping. This may be surprising since online grocery delivery always comes with delivery fees. However, it’s far easier to compare prices and discover deals online than it is in-store, making online shopping a more affordable option for some. Plus, it’s easier to avoid “impulse buying” online.
When figuring out which brands to add to their carts, price is the top consideration for 67% of respondents. That means grocery ads, sales, promotions, and discounts are very important to the majority of shoppers looking for budget-friendly groceries online. And consumers do seek out the cheapest grocery delivery possible, so be sure to compare your prices to that of your competitors.
How Grocery Delivery Helps Retailers Grow
Repeat orders mean repeat revenue.
As mentioned above, 40% of online grocery shoppers buy groceries online on a weekly basis.
By using a delivery system with an “Order Again” function, shoppers can quickly and easily repurchase their orders, presenting a huge opportunity for online grocers. 41% of respondents are very likely, and another 40% are likely, to repurchase products from a past online order.
High-volume orders are common.
Approximately 42% of respondents spend $51 to $100 on each grocery order, and another 33% spend $101 to $200.
Those who report spending the most, over $201, are the most likely to place orders daily or weekly. This makes sense, as people don't want to pay fees for small orders. In line with this trend, those who selected the lowest spending tier ($0 to $50) order groceries the least frequently.
This means that not only do online shoppers place grocery orders on a regular basis, but they typically make it worth the delivery fee, meaning high average check size. Digital shoppers are also more loyal than in-store and omnichannel shoppers and have a higher lifetime value for CPG brands.
How to Overcome Online Grocery Hesitations
Not everyone has kept their online grocery shopping habits up. In order to re-engage one-time shoppers, and to attract new online customers, there’s a few strategies you can try.
Check your fees.
The top challenge with online grocery shopping is high fees. Retailers should research their customer base and find out what a typical customer would be willing to pay in fees for the convenience of grocery delivery. Providing free delivery for the first order can help get consumers excited about the convenience of online shopping.
Spotlight your brand’s best qualities using effective advertising.
Consumers trust brands more than delivery workers, so they tend to order prepackaged items more online than in-store. CPG brands can take advantage of this trend by advertising their products with an emphasis on consistency and reliability.
Stores can build trust with their audiences through smart advertisements that show how delivery works, and how stores ensure quality products every time — whether shoppers are in-store or ordering delivery.
By building a strong social media presence and running ads that highlight your supermarket coupons, show the ins and outs of running your business, and demonstrate quality and consistency, you can help new shoppers get excited about online ordering.
But there’s one more excellent way to reach customers that are already excited about what they’re going to make for dinner tonight: contextual commerce.
Reach Online Shoppers Where They Look for Food Inspiration
The best contextual commerce opportunity for grocery retailers and CPG brands is digital recipe content. Food blogs and recipe sites, along with social media platforms, are the top sources of online meal inspiration, according to our survey. When shoppers use online recipe content, they have high intent to purchase — they’re ready to cook. Shoppable recipe content can drive online grocery shopping activity. More than half of consumers (51%) are comfortable shopping by recipe or meal-related content, and are likely or very likely to purchase directly from a recipe ad or other types of food content. Recipe content isn’t just a place to advertise, it’s also a place to drive add-to-carts.
Food content attracts high-intent shoppers who are in meal-planning mode. CPG brands can reach shoppers by advertising in recipes and within all types of food content. So much of food-focused content links back to food blogs and recipe sites, so CPG brands and stores alike can benefit from partnering with Chicory to advertise on these platforms, making recipes shoppable and driving revenue.
