Although retailers such as Kroger, Walmart and Amazon are working on grocery delivery solutions, only 3 percent of today’s grocery spend in the U.S. occurs through eCommerce. In South Korea and the U.K., by comparison, the penetration of eCommerce in grocery shopping has reached 15 percent, CNBC reported.
Through a collaboration with Google, Bain & Co. found that just one-quarter of U.S. shoppers tested an eCommerce grocery offering in the past year. And just 6 percent of those consumers noted that they place eCommerce grocery orders more often than once a month. Bain & Co. partner Stephen Caine said, “we’ve been early adopters in this country in almost every other retail category … we know online grocery will explode at some point.”
U.S. grocers are trialling various options to get customers to take advantage of the new services. According to the news outlet, consumers like to see as well as touch items, such as produce and meat, prior to making a purchase. Thus, products such as chips and granola bars are often “the most popular items placed in online shopping carts.”
The news comes as Walmart said in January that it was adding four delivery companies to its team to help grow its online grocery delivery offerings. Delivery companies Skipcart, AxleHire, Roadie and Point Pickup will begin making deliveries for the retailer in four states. In addition, further growth is planned in the weeks to come.
At the time of the report, the service was available in over 800 stores. A further 800 locations will likely offer the delivery services in the future. Personal shoppers in the program have to undergo training that lasts three weeks to learn how to select the best cuts of meat and the freshest produce for grocery customers.
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