U.S. online grocery sales grow steadily, reaching $8.6 billion in November

According to consulting firms Brick Meets Click and Mercatus, online grocery sales in the United States continued their upward trend in November, reaching $8.6 billion in November after reaching $8.1 billion in October. Thanks to the increase in the base of active consumers, sales in November increased by 6% compared with the same period last year.

The company's survey results show that nearly 69 million American households are expected to purchase groceries through online channels in November, an increase of 15% from November 2020. The survey also found that more than one-third of monthly active users are between the ages of 30 and 44, and this group also accounts for more than half of the growth in monthly active users over the past year.

In addition, the average amount of online grocery orders per capita in the United States in November was $71.12, slightly higher than $70.65 in October. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also mentioned in its monthly consumer price index report that the prices of goods sold in both online and offline channels increased to a certain extent in November.

In terms of delivery methods, the average per capita order consumption for delivery orders was $86.30, for pickup orders it was $83.44, and for home delivery orders it was $42.03. Currently, the consumption of home delivery is lower than the pre-epidemic level.

Meanwhile, pickup and delivery orders accounted for 81% of total online grocery order spending in November, up from 73% a year ago. Overall sales for home delivery fell 27% over the past 12 months.

In addition, monthly active users placed an average of 2.68 online grocery orders in November, down 5% from the same period in 2020. According to investigators, except for large markets where order frequency remained stable, order volumes in other types of markets declined.

According to the consulting firm, large retailers such as Walmart and Target have seen the largest audience growth over the past year, with about 13 million new active users per month since November, while traditional grocers have added about 4 million monthly active users.

In this regard, Mercatus President Sylvain Perrier said that in the ever-changing online grocery market, it is important to understand the factors that influence consumers' shopping concepts. Knowing what consumers value and providing them with a tailored shopping experience can highlight the unique appeal of the store and increase operating income.

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