November 2023 online grocery sales are up 5.2% from last year, according to the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey. The survey found U.S. e-grocers posted $8.1 billion in total monthly sales, 5.2% higher than last year’s sales of $7.7 billion.
Online sales across all formats accounted for 11.7% of total weekly grocery spending during the last week of November, according to the survey.
The survey said delivery posted the largest gain from 2022 to 2023, with a significant jump in monthly users. The survey said 42% of households in the U.S. used a mass retailer for grocery purchases — both in-store and online — during November, surpassing supermarkets, which is a contrast to the survey’s results in May, where 42% of households reported using supermarkets as their primary grocery store.
“The current economic realities and omnichannel strategies are aiding Mass retailers in attracting more customers today,” David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click, said in a news release. “The price advantage that a Mass rival, such as Walmart, enjoys is motivating cash-strapped households to shift where they shop, and Mass customer engagement strategies are making it easier for those customers to shop the way they want.”
The survey noted that delivery accounted for nearly 33% of online grocery sales in November. Pickup sales only grew by 1.6% compared to a year ago but still account for 38% of online grocery sales in November, according to the results.
Ship-to-home accounted for 29% of online grocery sales in November, the survey noted.
