Inside the mind of the grocery shopper Q4 2021

There is no denying the fact that the path to purchase as we knew it, as shoppers and as marketers, will never be the same. It has been 19 months since the start of the pandemic in the US and we’ve endured panic buying, ongoing supply chain issues and general uncertainty which have all played a role in forming new and ever evolving shopper habits. We set out to understand where grocery buying preferences stand today by surveying 977 unique individuals.

What did we learn?

As a baseline, eMarketer reports that in 2019 US grocery sales from ecommerce accounted for 2% of the total. Our October 2021 surveys shows that a staggering 19.8% of shoppers now prefer ecommerce over in-store for grocery shopping. 

Why online?

For one, safety. With the pandemic still amongst us, 19% of respondents indicated that staying safe was their main reason for shopping online. However, the largest factor driving ecommerce grocery shopping was stated to be convenience, with 59% of respondents choosing it as their main driver. Finally, 22% of shoppers find it easier to leverage deals and offers with online shopping.

Why in-store?

While more shoppers than ever before are trying and using grocery pickup and delivery, 80.2% still prefer the in-store experience. The main rationale here is that 61% of shoppers feel there is a larger variety of options at their disposal in-store. 20% of respondents feel shopping in-store is faster and 19% feel that in-store shopping is more cost effective.

What should I do about it?

1. Think Omnichannel: Reach shoppers where they are already spending time and work to eliminate friction in the buying process at all touch points in the path to purchase.
2. Use Personalization: : Regardless of channel, variety and convenience are the two of the most significant factors driving a shoppers decisions today. Use personalization strategies help shoppers easily understand what to buy, while simplifying where and how to buy it.