During the holiday season, grocery shoppers are going omnichannel, with 78 percent reporting they will shop a mix of digital channels and stores, according to a report from Grocery Doppio. This shift has compelled grocers to adapt to the omnichannel environment.
For the report, orders from 2.1 million U.S. shoppers from January 1, 2022 to October 31, 2023 were analyzed, and 38,113 consumers and 3,611 grocery executives were surveyed over the same period.
As consumers shift to digital, there are more opportunities for grocers to engage with shoppers outside of the store. Roughly 83 percent of shoppers report they will visit a grocer’s digital site or app during the holiday season, and 53 percent say they anticipate ordering for delivery, pickup, and shopping in store within the same week.
To bolster grocery omnichannel capabilities, retailers are investing following five areas:
• Eighty-six percent of grocers are stress-testing omnichannel capabilities and optimizing their digital channels.
• Seventy-seven percent are increasing digital promotions and discounts.
• Seventy-four percent are expanding delivery and pickup options and slots.
• Sixty-nine percent are improving their inventory visibility efforts.
• Forty-seven percent are doubling down on personalized offers.
Adapting to the shift can be beneficial to grocers, as 14 percent of consumers will increase their basket size through the holiday season, according to the report.
The findings also confirm that online grocery sales are on the rise, with $11 billion in sales being made in October 2023, a 6.8 percent increase compared to the month before. Contributing to this increase was an 8.2 percent surge in pickup sales in October compared to the month prior.
Related: Amazon Expands Offerings, Delivery Options; Retailers Lead Holiday Hunger Relief Events