Online Grocery Sales Growing, But Will Not Supplant Trips To The Grocery Store

Though online grocery shopping is growing at an annual rate of 25 percent, it is not likely it will replace shopping at a “bricks-and-mortar” grocery store any time soon, market researcher Nielsen reports. Digital shopping accounted for only two percent of U.S. consumer packaged goods sales in 2011. Certain food categories – carbonated beverages, dairy, liquor, produce and frozen food – are not suited to online shopping because of concerns about refrigeration, perishability, and weight, all of which make shipping prohibitively expensive. Other barriers to online grocery shopping include “urgency,” “immediate consumption” and the need for “inspection”.