Overall e-commerce grocery sales spiked in April, while both digital and physical store sales at Walmart and Target surged in the most recent quarter.
U.S. online grocery sales increased 16 percent to USD 8.4 billion (EUR 6.9 billion) in April compared to April 2020, according to Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey. However, e-commerce grocery sales dropped 10 percent compared to March 2021.
Despite the month-over-month decrease, total online grocery sales in April 2021 were more than four times higher than pre-pandemic levels, Brick Meets Click/ Mercatus said in a press release.
“Online shopping has remained an attractive way to buy groceries for a sizable segment of the U.S.,” Brick Meets Click Partner David Bishop said. “Last year, retailers were in a race to meet the dramatic surge in demand. This year, it’s about executing a sound and sustainable strategy, with the imperative squarely on improving integration and implementation.”
Target’s digital comparable sales surged 50 percent in the first quarter, on top of 141 percent growth a year ago, and its same-day pickup and delivery services grew more than 90 percent.
Target’s overall sales benefitted from a reopening economy and increasing vaccination rate, hiking 22.9 percent versus the first quarter of 2020.
“Store comp sales grew 18 percent in the quarter, even as they also fulfilled more than three quarters of Target’s digital sales – including more than 90-percent growth of our same-day services,” Target Corp. Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell said.
Walmart’s U.S. e-commerce sales spiked 37 percent in its most recent quarter, and sales more than doubled over the last two years, the retailer said in a press release.
Walmart’s U.S. comparable store sales increased 6 percent, with market share gains in grocery.
Meanwhile, Walmart’s Sam’s Club e-commerce sales surged 47 percent and comp sales increased 7.2 percent.
Photo courtesy of Walmart
