InPerspective®

Experts Predict E-Commerce Grocery Shopping Trend Will be Maintained Post-Pandemic

Grocery items have grown 28% from brick-and-mortar sales and 104% online, primarily driven by snack packs, soft drinks, and water.

The global Coronavirus pandemic swiftly changed the world of food as we know it – from shifting shopping behaviors and trends to disrupting food supply chains and leaving grocery shelves empty.¹

With this sudden upheaval within the food industry, analysts have been working to understand what types of buying behaviors influenced by Covid-19 might be here to stay.²

On the consumer trends level, Nielsen reports that basket sizes continue to grow and frequency of trips to brick-and-mortar stores are declining. Instead, more consumers are taking to e-commerce than ever before. For instance, online grocery shopping activity grew 59% for the week ending 4/11, while home delivery grew 53%.¹

However, both on and off-line shoppers are purchasing more center store items. Grocery items have grown 28% from brick-and-mortar sales and 104% online, primarily driven by snack packs, soft drinks, and water.¹ Frozen foods, another top surging food category, has experienced 35% growth at brick-and-mortar stores, driven by complete meals, chicken, multi-serve options, and ice cream.¹

While many of these “stockpiling” habit shifts seem reasonable for the times, many experts predict that this pandemic will in fact alter the way consumer stock their fridges and pantries for years to come.²

Online grocery shopping is one of those trends. According to Bain & Company, only about 3-4% of grocery purchases happened online prior to the pandemic. They expect that post-pandemic behaviors may double or even triple that metric.²

At Cargill Salt, we’ve developed and continued to improve upon our ecommerce options. Our Cargill Salt Store, developed for food processors and retailers, simplifies and streamlines the ordering process to fit the needs of customers. Our Diamond Crystal® Kosher Salt is also available for purchase through our site, and we continue to work on expanding our online distribution.

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