The UK’s online grocery market is set to continue blooming over the next five years, according to new industry research.
The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), the food industry’s trade body, estimates that British consumers will spend £7.2bn online on food and grocery shopping by 2014 – almost double the amount spent in 2009.
A survey by the IGD revealed that 13 per cent of Brits aged 16-64 shopped online for groceries last year, up 63 per cent from 2006. Three out of five of those used more than one online store to buy their food, while nearly half said they would like to try other supermarket sites but are put off by the perceived effort involved.
The Online Shopping 2009 study also found that a quarter of internet shoppers intend to try a different online supermarket in the next three months, while 30 per cent shop online for their groceries less than once a month.
Furthermore, 61 per cent of the 2,032 online consumers polled said that removing delivery charges would help further boost the online grocery industry.
Joanne Denney-Finch, IGD chief executive, said: “Our research shows there is a great opportunity for grocery retailers and manufacturers to encourage shoppers to try online food shopping .”
“People are increasingly mixing the channels they use for their weekly or monthly shop. Many are choosing to visit their local store on a regular basis, while purchasing a number of bulk items, like tinned foods and toiletries, online less frequently.”
She added: “The future of grocery shopping is ‘multi-channel’, with people shopping in different ways and using various outlets – whether convenience stores, online or hypermarkets.”
