Online Grocery Sales Fall in April

Online grocery sales saw a dip in the month of April, according to the most recent Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.

First covered by Store Brands’ sister publication Progressive Grocer, online grocery sales declined 3.8% last month compared to April 2021 and online orders fell slid 5.8% in the same time frame. The survey found that total online grocery sales had a smaller share of wallet in April. Online orders comprised 12.3% of grocery sales, down from 12.7% this time last year.

The Brick Meets Click/Mercatus research showed that sales were in negative territory across the eCommerce space. Delivery-related sales were down 6%, with that segment contributing nearly half of the year-over-year decline in total online grocery sales.

Sales in the ship-to-home part of the omnichannel. already the smallest slice of the eCommerce market, fell more than 3% for the period as well. Orders sent directly to homes were lower as the monthly active user base narrowed.

Pickup, which has been performing steadily and well in recent times, also weakened, just under 3% for the month. The average order value for pickup showed a nominal drop of about 70 basis points to $81.

“With budget conscious consumers naturally gravitating towards lower cost online services like pickup, grocers need to find ways to offer these services profitably and remain competitive,” said Slyvain Perrier, president and CEOO of Mercatus. “Conventional grocers can take advantage of more efficient pick and pack practices. They can also use tiered pricing models and variable fee structures to offset the cost to serve while still providing a compelling pickup experience to customers.