Online Grocery Shopping Lags Behind Digital Restaurant Adoption

As consumers seek greater convenience, digital restaurant engagement continues to outpace online grocery shopping.

By the Numbers

Research from the latest edition of PYMNTS’ monthly ConnectedEconomy study, the “ConnectedEconomy Monthly Report: The Gender Divide Edition,” which draws from a survey of more than 2,600 U.S. consumers in October, finds that 54% of men and 47% of women engage with restaurants via digital channels. In contrast, only 42% and 31% respectively do the same with grocers.

Get the study: ConnectedEconomy Monthly Report: The Gender Divide Edition

The Data in Action

Grocers are doing everything in their power to drive adoption, an especially difficult task now, as rising price anxieties have many consumers unwilling to pay the premium for convenience. Consequently, major players are turning to digital coupons and other discounting efforts to boost engagement amid these concerns.

“We know that very price sensitive customers are those that have lower engagement with eCommerce and are lower on the adoption curve, and those are the customers that are most likely to go into a store,” Barbara Connors, vice president of commercial insights at 84.51°, the marketing insights subsidiary of grocery giant Kroger, said in an interview with PYMNTS. “And one of the reasons is because they are looking for sales, deals and coupons, and it is easier for them to do that in-store than online.”

Consequently, the grocer is looking to get smarter with its digital deals and promotions.

Similarly, grocery aggregator Instacart announced last month the launch of its Promotions suite of advertising offerings for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, offering self-service options for showing consumers personalized deals, promotions and coupons.

“With the average cost of groceries going up, we’re proud to unlock more ways for consumers to save money and connect with their favorite brands and retailers via Instacart,” Ali Miller, vice president of ads product at Instacart, said in a statement.