How to Win at Omnichannel Grocery Shopping

Search habits, social media influences, and online advertising are driving shoppers’ decisions at the grocery store. For retailers, creating a seamless experience across both physical and digital touchpoints is essential to drive purchases across the store.

Today, the omnichannel experience means grocers should seek out e-commerce brands that engage to take advantage of the continued e-commerce grocery growth. Adoption of online grocery shopping is expected to double from 47.3% in 2022 to 81.7% by 2025, based on Incisiv’s Digital Maturity Benchmark Grocery Industry 2021 report.

The report further revealed that 30% of shoppers have purchased more categories online in 2020 compared with 2018, while about 75% of shoppers would have purchased groceries online by 2025.

On the other hand, shoppers’ fulfillment preferences are projected to stay divided across channels, Incisiv’s report said. In 2022, 42% preferred in-store pickup, 41% curbside, and 22% home delivery. This will remain largely unchanged by 2024, where 40% are seen to prefer in-store pickup, 24% curbside, and 20% home delivery.

In another aspect, social media is influencing what consumers cook and what they shop for. According to an Instacart report titled 2021 Year in Groceries: A Year Inspired by Food Trends & Back to Normal-ish Buying, 44% of consumers say social media has changed how they approach cooking at home. Another 36% of consumers tried making a social media food trend in 2021.

Shoppers are also motivated by shoppable recipes, with 51% of consumers revealing they would prepare dinner at home more often if they had new ideas, while 62% of millennials and 71% of millennial parents are trying to cook new dishes. About 77% of consumers say they would rather eat a homemade meal than go out for dinner.