Online grocery shopping to rise by 50pc

Online grocery sales will increase by 53.8 per cent to £16 billion between now and 2022, the IGD predicts.

At the moment online accounts for £10.4bn of the £184.5bn grocery market. While supermarkets and hypermarkets will continue to hold the biggest share, the IGD says shoppers are increasingly turning to online with two out of five using online as part of the monthly grocery shopping.

And it forecasts that three out of five will be shopping online in the next two to three years.

The IGD’s research found that 28 per cent of online shoppers claim to shop once a week or more online, compared with 20 per cent in 2013.

“Online delivery saver passes are helping to lock in shopper loyalty and increase frequency of shops, with 29 per cent of online shoppers claiming to be subscribed to this type of scheme.”

Vanessa Henry, the IGD’s shopper insight manager, said: “What we call ‘omnichannel shoppers’ are having a big impact on the grocery market, with over half (54 per cent) of shoppers claiming that they use five or more different channels every month, as well as buying from 12 different store brands on average. Retailers should therefore consider how they are driving loyalty so that they become the brand of choice, for example with online delivery saver passes or special promotions.”