US online grocery sales dip in September but remain high

Despite the sharp drop in ship-to-home home transactions, US online grocery sales and order volume remained high in September, according to data from strategic advisory firm Brick Meets Click. The US online grocery sector achieved sales of $8 billion in September, down 7% from $8.6 billion in August, about the same level as a year ago.

Delivery and pickup sales dipped 3% from $6.6 billion in August to $6.4 billion in September yet grew in share from nearly 77% to 80% of online grocery sales. Meanwhile, ship-to-home sales (online grocery purchases delivered via parcel couriers like UPS) fell by 15% from $2 billion in August to $1.7 billion in September, with share shrinking from approximately 23% to 20% of sales.

In September, around one out of two US households purchased groceries online, down 7.1% from August but 16% higher than a year earlier. Weighted average spending per order across all three fulfilment methods stood at $69.65 in September, down 12% from August 2020, but still 19% higher than in August 2019, before the Covid-19 crisis.

The study, conducted by Brick Meets, polled 1,728 US adults. David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click, said:

“The combined pickup and delivery segment now captures nearly 80% of sales in the US e-grocery market, and pickup hit a record-high portion of total sales in our September research wave, underscoring its critical role in a grocer’s strategy.”