One-Third of Consumers Prefer To Shop For Groceries Online- New Study
A third (35%) of consumers say they prefer to shop for groceries remotely, for example via an online order, according to a survey from YouGov.
However, despite e-commerce’s growth since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there is still greater preference for going to a physical venue for groceries, reported by 43% of adults.
Online groceries are most popular in China (70%) and India (65%), where around two-thirds say they prefer buying food online than in-store. Online shopping for groceries is also more popular than in-store buying in the United Arab Emirates (59% prefer online), Indonesia (58%), Hong Kong (49%), Mexico (43%) and Singapore (36%).
Online purchases are less popular in Europe, Australia and the United States, though, and there is a stronger preference for in-store shopping. For example, just 25% of adults say they prefer to shop online in the United States and in Great Britain and this drops below a quarter in France (23%), Germany (20%) and Denmark (17%).
YouGov adds that age does not play a role in determining preference in Great Britain, but is more important in the US – 35% of 18 to 24 year-olds prefer buying groceries online, compared to 19% of Americans over the age of 55.
As a result, it is vital that brands and retailers design online and offline customer experiences suitable for a variety of consumer segments. This will only grow in importance as hybrid buying becomes a more established habit in the grocery market.
Achieving brand consistency across these multiple selling channels is also a key challenge for marketers, as is effectively using the growing opportunities in retail media.
Credit: WARC