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Amazon maintains lead in online grocery market share

Study: Supermarkets have opportunities to narrow the gap

Russell Redman

October 3, 2018

2 Min Read
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Amazon continues to fortify its dominant position in online grocery retail.

Brick Meets Click’s May 2018 consumer survey found that Amazon captured 30% of U.S. online grocery spending. The study polled 4,855 adults who do grocery shopping for the household.

The Barrington, Ill.-based strategic advisory firm, which focuses on the grocery sector, noted that no other company comes close to Amazon’s share in online grocery. In fact, the overall supermarket channel accounted for 30% of online grocery sales over the period — the same as Amazon, according to the survey.

Next in online grocery sales share were mass merchants (13%), online delivery platforms (11%), warehouse clubs (6%) and meal kit providers (4%), Brick Meets Click reported. Other online grocery participants represented about 7% of sales.

The study covered sales in the grocery (food and nonfood), alcohol, bakery, dairy, deli, frozen, general merchandise, health and beauty aids, meat, seafood and produce categories. Sales via third-party providers like Instacart and Shipt were included in their respective channels based on the retailer used by the consumer.

Amazon has achieved its online grocery leadership by transforming how households shop for groceries, Brick Meets Click said. This has come through such services as Subscribe & Save, AmazonFresh, Prime Pantry and Prime Now as well as acquisitions like Whole Foods Market and Quidsi.

Related:Whole Foods, Amazon steam ahead with Prime Now

Still, there are clear opportunities for supermarkets to grow their online grocery market share versus Amazon, according to Brick Meets Click partner David Bishop (left).

For example, supermarkets outperform Amazon in purchase frequency and sales per order, Brick Meets Click research revealed. Of the 77% of online households that buy products or services from Amazon, just 11% purchased groceries from the e-tail giant during the past 30 days.

Similarly, households buying groceries online from supermarkets do so from those retailers more than twice monthly, compared with 1.7 times for Amazon.  

David_Bishop_Brick_Meets_Click_2.png“Until recently, Amazon’s success relied heavily on leveraging its ability to overcome the physical constraints that the limit the reach and the breadth of assortment brick-and-mortar retailers can offer,” said Bishop (left).

Brick Meets Click’s study also found that the average grocery order for Amazon customers was $45, well behind customers’ average online grocery spend of $116 at supermarkets and $143 at online delivery platforms like FreshDirect and Peapod.

Supermarkets can leverage their brick-and-mortar locations and strengths in online grocery shopping frequency and ticket size to protect their customer base from Amazon, generate more online trips and highlight the value of the in-store shopping experience, Bishop pointed out.

“To grow grocery market share, Amazon needs to strengthen its physical presence and persuade consumers to buy highly perishable products from it,” he added. “Whole Foods’ connection to Prime Now and exclusive Prime membership benefits will help to varying degrees, but more moves are clearly needed.”

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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