The Feedback Group’s Grocery Shopper Intention Monitor shows that four times as many shoppers plan to shop more often in a store for groceries in 2021 versus those indicating less often. While Walmart leads the way among physical stores shoppers expect to shop more often, Amazon grocery offerings, both Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh, show the most momentum among those shopping online.
The Feedback Group, a leader in providing actionable stakeholder feedback, released the Grocery Shopper Intention Monitor. This new report from the Feedback Group tracks expected future grocery shopping, both in stores and online, and among specific retailers.
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Intent to Shop for Groceries in a Store
Four times as many shoppers plan to shop more often in a store in 2021 as those who plan to shop less. This strong expected shopping ratio (defined as the ratio of more-to-less often) appears strongest among rural shoppers (34% more often / 4% less often) and the Baby Boomer generation (32% more / 6% less).
Stores with Highest Expected Shopping Ratio
Walmart leads the way with the highest expected shopping ratio (34% more / 11% less), followed by Costco (33% more / 16% less), dollar stores (29% more / 12% less) and grocery stores, including chains and independents (28% more / 11% less). When considering rural shoppers, the stores with the highest expected shopping ratio are Aldi, dollar stores, Sprouts, Walmart, and Trader Joe’s. Among Boomers, Meijer, Trader Joe’s, Winco, Aldi, and Costco show the highest expected shopping ratios.
Brian Numainville, a principal with The Feedback Group, commented, “As we look forward, our research reveals that many shoppers anticipate returning to shopping in stores for food and groceries across a variety of formats. As a result, it is important for stores to provide the best possible experience to welcome food shoppers back and retain them.”
Intent to Purchase Groceries Online
Two times as many shoppers indicate they will shop more online (40%) versus less (20%) in 2021. The online expected shopping ratio is strongest among urban shoppers (54% more / 17% less) and Millennials (57% more / 19% less), while the youngest generation, Gen Z, has a flat expected shopping ratio.
Online Services with Highest Expected Shopping Ratio
Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh show the strongest expected shopping ratio for online shopping, followed by Walmart.com, Target.com, and Costco.com. Stores with the top expected shopping ratio among Millennials are led by Whole Foods (with a ratio of four times more versus less), followed by Walmart.com, Target.com, Amazon Fresh, Costco.com, and Instacart. Among urban shoppers, Whole Foods again comes out on top, followed by Walmart.com, Amazon Fresh, Target.com and Fresh Direct.
“As the findings illustrate, Amazon, both with Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh, appear to have the greatest overall momentum in terms of shoppers expecting to use their online services more often,” stated Doug Madenberg, Feedback Group principal. “Whole Foods also resonates the strongest among urban and Millennial shoppers, and Amazon Fresh also places in the top group of stores among these shoppers, along with Walmart, Target, Costco, Instacart and Fresh Direct. Absent from the top group are grocery stores, showing that work remains for the channel to continue to strengthen online offerings.”
Deeper Dive: Dollar Store Shopping
Taking a closer look at dollar stores, about four out of ten shoppers indicate they shop at a dollar store every two weeks or more frequently. Among those who shop a dollar store at least once every few months, about three in ten shop for food or grocery items every two weeks or more often, driven by the convenience of the store/location (57%), price (54%), quality (43%) and for items or brands they like (41%). The categories mentioned as most purchased were chips/salty snacks (65%), candy (62%), cookies/crackers (60%), beverages (59%), and canned goods (52%).
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“Since dollar stores had one of the higher expected shopping ratios for shoppers planning to shop in a store, it is clear that convenient store locations and price are appealing to dollar store shoppers for several product categories,” concluded Numainville. “Although fresh categories like meat and fruits/vegetables presently show the lowest purchasing levels, as reported by shoppers, these categories may grow as dollar stores continue to expand their offerings.”
Grocery retailers, food distributors, and media outlets can obtain a free copy of the full report or request an interview / presentation of the results from the principals of Feedback Group at report@feedbackgroup.com. The study is based on a nationally representative sample of 2,250 respondents who shopped in-store and/or online for food and groceries in the prior 30 days.