Best Online Grocery Stores in the US
The coronavirus pandemic has massively reshaped consumer behavior. Not only have consumers started spending more time on social media, but they are also doing more online shopping. Grocery shopping is no exception to this.
Before COVID-19, the ecommerce share of US grocery sales for 2020 was forecast at 4.3 percent. But as brick-and-mortar stores shut and consumers began purchasing groceries online, the forecast was revised to 10.2 percent—more than double the original.
So where do US consumers consider to be the best places to order groceries online in the US?
Best Places To Order Groceries Online in the US
Recent analysis shows that in 2022, the list of the best online grocery stores in the US, as ranked by industry experts, was topped by Walmart and Amazon. Incidentally, they are also the two largest retailers in the country in terms of sales.
Walmart’s online grocery sales are set to hit $37.62 billion in 2022. This is the third consecutive year that Walmart is expected to surpass Amazon in online grocery sales. It first did so in 2020, when its digital grocery sales skyrocketed by 84 percent.
In comparison, Amazon, ranked as the second-best place to buy groceries online in the US, is forecast to bring in $35.1 billion in online grocery sales this year. Analysts say while Amazon’s numbers have been boosted by its acquisition of Whole Foods, it still has much to do as its competitors improve their digital services.
Together, Walmart and Amazon generate $72.7 billion in online grocery sales, clearly dominating the online grocery market in the US.
The third best place to buy groceries online is Kroger. The Ohio-headquartered company is forecast to increase its online grocery sales by 22 percent this year to hit $18.37 billion. It’s also the third-largest retailer in the US, after Walmart and Amazon.
After Kroger is hypermart Target, whose online grocery sales in 2022 are estimated at $7.57 billion—an annual increase of 25 percent. Industry experts credit Target’s growth in the online grocery sector to its curbside pickup option during the pandemic. This boosted grocery ecommerce sales by a whopping 156 percent in 2020.
Albertsons Cos. wraps up the list of the best online grocery stores in the US. Its partnerships with Uber, DoorDash, and Instacart are expected to propel digital grocery sales to $7.48 billion in 2022.