Description
In many places around the world, grocers are among the few businesses that remain open during the Covid-19 shutdown, providing truly essential services, which has resulted in booming sales. Demand for online grocery is going through the roof as evidenced from the rising number of online grocery orders reported by retailers and also thanks to the steep bump in delivery app downloads.
The surge in online grocery penetration isn’t just a Á uke due to the pandemic. Sales were already trending more toward online ordering, with various studies and estimates already projecting a healthy growth in online grocery sales.
COVID-19 will spark a long-term shift toward online grocery, which will prove to be a sticky sales channel. As more consumers get a À rsthand taste of the convenienceof this service, as well as the cost-effectiveness compared with getting restaurant takeout or delivery, they’ll want to continue ordering groceries online even after the pandemic ends.
So, even when this health care nightmare ends, online grocery penetration will likely remain far higher than anyone previously forecasted, but not every retailer will win out. That will be determined in part by what grocers do to earn customer trust and improve the À nancial sustainability of online orders, both now and in the coming months.
