Grocery shopping channel preferences

 

What the numbers say: 61% of U.S. millennials preferred to shop for groceries online, while only 22% preferred to shop in-store. Generation Z showed less of a preference for grocery e-commerce, with only 43% of this generation preferring to shop for groceries online. 42% of Generation Z preferred to do their grocery shopping in physical stores. Relevance: The value of worldwide online grocery shopping is projected to grow to $275.2B by 2026, up from $173.8B in 2021. However, e-commerce remains only a fraction of total worldwide grocery sales, which are estimated to reach over $3T in value by 2026. The data shows that trends in grocery e-commerce do not always follow expected patterns. For instance, younger generational cohorts could be expected to prefer shopping for groceries online. However, the youngest economically active U.S. generation, Generation Z, has a greater preference for in-store shopping than millennials. Brands that should care: Grocery retailers may benefit from balancing investments between their omnichannel operations rather than only focusing on e-commerce. While online grocery shopping remains a high-growth market, data indicates that young consumers may confound prevailing trends by choosing to shop in-store more than older generations.