Charts: Online Grocery Sales in the U.S.

Ecommerce will account for over 20% of U.S. grocery sales by 2025.

That’s according to a new report from Incisiv, a research firm, and Mercātus, digital-focused grocery consultants.

The study, “eGrocery’s New Reality: The Pandemic’s Lasting Impact on U.S. Grocery Shopper Behavior,” investigates U.S. online grocery shopper behavior and changes in shopping preferences in 2020 and beyond. It’s based in part on a 2021 survey of roughly 40,000 U.S. grocery customers with input from regional grocers.

The study projects ecommerce will account for 12.5% of total U.S. grocery sales of $1.063 trillion in 2021, up from 10.2% in 2020, and will increase to 21.5% by 2025.

The study shows how the pandemic has changed the fulfillment preference of e-grocery shoppers.

• Before the pandemic, 27% of online grocery shoppers chose home delivery, 33% preferred curbside pickup, and 40% preferred picking up in-store.

• During the pandemic’s peak, 31% chose home delivery, 41% selected curbside pickup, and 28% picked up in-store.

• Home delivery is now preferred by 24%, curbside service by 31%, and in-store pickup by 44%.

Cowen Inc. is a U.S. multinational investment bank and financial services company. According to a June 2021 study by Cowen Research, nearly 60% of U.S. digital grocery shoppers stated they had purchased from Amazon or Walmart site in the past month.