That will be the equivalent to every U.S. household spending $850 online annually
By NACS Online
By 2022, 70% of consumers could be doing a portion of their food shopping online. But many food manufacturers and retailers say they aren’t prepared to meet this surge in demand.
This is all according to the “Digitally Engaged Food Shopper” analysis presented by a partnership between the Food Marketing Institute and Nielsen. The research looks at how food and beverage manufacturers as well as brick-and-mortar retailers can respond to the ever-growing digital grocery landscape.
“The grocery industry is currently in the age of digital experimentation, where the roadmap on how to navigate and achieve real and profitable growth continues to evolve,” said Chris Morley, U.S. President of Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Retail at Nielsen. “While analytics will continue to be critical for retailers and manufacturers to understand the digitally engaged food shopper on a deeper level, a collaborative approach to balancing physical and digital sales strategies is the key to unlocking omnichannel success.”
It isn’t just Amazon leading the charge anymore with its purchase of Whole Foods: Walmart is enhancing its grocery-delivery service to reach even more cities and Target has acquired an online same-day delivery platform. One big challenge? Shipping perishable items like meat and produce. Companies need to put the right measures in place to really make consumers feel comfortable ordering these items online.
Regardless, it’s a huge challenge for smaller grocery chains. They simply don’t have the resources to offer the convenience that today’s consumers want. But don’t worry quite yet: 97% of groceries are still purchased in stores and many shoppers want to pick out their produce themselves.
