U.S. online grocery sales reached USD 8.1 billion (EUR 6.7 billion) in sales through November, while fresh and frozen seafood sales showed continued strong growth.
For the week of 29 November – the week of Thanksgiving week – fresh seafood sales increased 20 percent compared to the same week last year, according to IRI and 210 Analytics.
In fact, seafood realized the highest sales increase of all fresh departments at U.S. grocery stores during the week, 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerink told SeafoodSource.
Sales of frozen meat, poultry, and seafood also soared 19 percent for the week.
While frozen seafood sales’ spikes have leveled off somewhat since their increase of 42 percent the week of 23 August, growth remains strong and experts expect consumers to continue buying seafood throughout the winter.
Meat and poultry prices have climbed up again this fall, and more consumers are eating at home – driving opportunities for fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable seafood.
“Frozen foods are not so very easily taken as lunchbox meals, but with more than 50 percent of the nation’s school-aged children partaking in virtual education, there are a lot of snack and lunch dollars that will be spent at home versus in the school cafeteria,” Roerink told SeafoodSource in September. “That favors frozen because, for students who are at home, they’re able to microwave a little entree, a pizza, some fish sticks, etcetera. Likewise, adults working from home may not have the opportunity to heat something up at work, whereas they are able to use the microwave, oven, or air fryer at home."
While U.S. online grocery sales fell slightly from USD 8.2 billion (EUR 6.7 billion) in August, around 60 million U.S. households placed on average of 2.8 orders during the month, according to the new Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.
In fact, U.S. grocery e-commerce sales have remained above the
USD 8 billion (EUR 6.6 billion) mark every month since May, according to Brick Meets Click/Mercatus.
“Concerns about contracting the virus, stay-at-home orders, or retail restrictions motivated many to try a service within the last nine months, and now a significant share of those households considers online shopping a desirable alternative to an in-store trip,” Brick Meets Click Partner David Bishop said in a press release. “This presents opportunities as well as threats to established business models and practices.”
The delivery and pickup segments of the market captured 73 percent of online sales at USD 5.9 billion (EUR 4.9 billion) during the month. Plus, active delivery and pickup shoppers reported a record-high repeat intent rate of 83 percent.
In related news, Kroger has moved into the top 10 of U.S. e-commerce companies, according to eMarketer’s ranking. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based retailer is now ranked ninth, ahead of Costco Wholesale in tenth place.
Kroger’s digital sales are expected to reach USD 11.28 billion (EUR 9.3 billion) in 2020, a whopping 79 percent increase over last year, MarketWatch reported.
Amazon is the top e-commerce company, followed by Walmart, eBay, and Apple.
Photo courtesy of BrickMeetsClick/Mercatus
