More shoppers are comfortable buying seafood and other perishables online, a new survey found.
Fourteen percent of online shoppers are buying seafood items, according to the Retail Feedback Group’s 2019 U.S. Online Grocery Shopper Study. The study is based on a national sample of 1,000 Americans who shopped for food and groceries online in the last 30 days.
Online grocery shoppers are most comfortable buying produce (41 percent), meat (36 percent), bakery (35 percent), deli meats and cheeses (32 percent), and prepared food and meals (26 percent).
“Based on the study findings, it appears that shopping online for fresh items is now a more accepted part of the online grocery shopping experience,” RFG Principal Brian Numainville and RFG Principal Doug Madenber said. “This growth may be a combination of a broader cross-section of shoppers engaging in online shopping, as well as more experience by online providers in successfully meeting the expectations of consumers in these departments.”
More shoppers utilized Walmart (37 percent) on their most recent online grocery purchase, followed by Amazon (29 percent). Notably, supermarkets registered the highest percentage of shoppers (22 percent) who said they used them for their first foray into online grocery shopping.
Shoppers are most satisfied with their online grocery shopping experience via Amazon, followed by Walmart, Instacart, and supermarkets/ food stores.
Many supermarket chains, including Kroger and Publix, have expanded their online grocery offerings in recent months.
Additionally, Albertsons Companies and Takeoff Technologies announced a collaboration on grocery micro-fulfillment centers (MFC), which hold about 15,000 to 18,000 of the local market’s most popular products inside an existing store. Albertsons said in a press release that it plans to purchase additional MFCs from Takeoff and is “evaluating market expansion opportunities.”
“The micro-fulfillment center model is a key element in the store of the future,” said Albertsons Companies President and Chief Executive Officer Vivek Sankaran, “It combines the efficiency of automation with the ease of meeting customers when and how they want to shop.”
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