5 Stats Proving Omnichannel Behaviors Are Here to Stay

The future of online grocery has been a highly contested topic in the CPG industry. In January 2023, that number had increased to a whopping 72%. This is up from 53% in January 2020.

At Chicory, the leading contextual commerce advertising platform, however, we’ve always been pro-online grocery, predicting that over time it would become engrained into the daily lives of consumers. We’re sharing findings from our annual Online Grocery Shopping Report as well as our annual Omnichannel Grocery Shopping Survey to prove it. 

1. Online grocery has shattered the food shopping gender divide.

Most in CPG marketing know (or have used) the archetype of the grocery shopper customer persona: a young mom in a multi-person household likely living in the suburbs. But today, that typification no longer fits the bill. With the flexibility and convenience offered by online grocery, men and women are now shopping for groceries online at the same rate: 66% of both women and men have purchased groceries online in the past 60 days.

2. In-store and omnichannel are nearly neck in neck as preferred shopping methods.

Brick-and-mortar stores will always be a staple of the grocery commerce ecosystem: 54% of shoppers indicated in-store shopping as their preferred method. But, as early phases of the path to purchase like inspiration and planning happen increasingly online, omnichannel shopping is becoming a sinew of our industry.

3. More than half of meal planning is happening in omnichannel ways.

Simply put, this means consumers are intentionally navigating multiple channels — social media, food blogs, in-store displays, television, etc. — as part of their shopping journey.

More than half (52%) of our survey’s respondents exhibit omnichannel meal-planning preferences: 39% like to plan both online and offline and 13% like to plan online only. Online meal planning includes the utilization of digital recipes, coupon sites, list-building apps and digital shopping carts.

4. Recipe sites, along with social media, are the #1 source of online meal inspiration.

When it came to where shoppers find meal inspiration online, food blogs and recipe publishers came out on top, along with social media. Considering that almost all food content on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube drives back to food blogs or recipe sites, recipe content is the best content to leverage as a CPG brand.

Not only that, but food blogs and recipe publishers are proving to be invaluable in the modern grocery shopper’s path to purchase: 51% are likely to purchase directly from food content. 

5. Even if shoppers aren’t visiting the retailer’s website, there’s a strong chance they’re still shopping for groceries online.

The decentralization of grocery has led to shoppers spending far less time on the retailer's site than they would have previously spent in the physical store. 

Of survey takers, 42% indicated that they do not visit the retailer’s platforms. But survey data showed that this is not actually indicative of online grocery usage or lack thereof, because of that segment, 51% have still shopped for groceries online. This is omnichannel shopping embodied, as these shoppers would have had to pass through multiple and alternative channels like third-party apps or digital food content.

Looking for more insights into the behaviors of today’s online grocery shopper? Get the full report here.