Online Food Shopping Is Growing, But So Are The Concerns

Nevin Barich

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , May 22, 2018 () – Online food shopping is growing more prevalent in the U.S., but it doesn’t mean consumers aren’t concerned about what they’re buying.

According to a new report from the Mintel Group, 78% of consumers are concerned about the freshness of food products they buy online. While online grocery shopping has been on the rise, it appears that freshness is a significant barrier as just 10% of Americans say they buy fresh produce, meat, poultry and/or fish online.

The report went on to say that 14% of all online food and drink consumers cite trust as an issue that has prevented them from adding a product to an online shopping cart, with this number rising to 17% among 18-34-year-olds. Additionally, 69% of consumers overall are hesitant to buy something that they can’t see/touch in advance, and 75% prefer to sample products before purchasing.

“Americans are exercising caution when shopping online as they believe that purchasing in-store is the most trustworthy way to determine the safety, quality and/or freshness of the items they buy,” said Matt Lindner, senior e-commerce analyst at Mintel. “While online shopping is becoming more convenient, online retailers still have yet to fully replicate the in-store experience of discovering a product in person. As a result, retailers have to go above and beyond in terms of offering more product information and anticipating any potential concerns from shoppers. In doing so, consumers will have less hesitation about adding a product to their online shopping cart and subsequently completing a purchase.”

Other findings from the Mintel survey:

---Saving money (56%) is the top reason Americans say they buy food or drink products online, followed by saving time (46%), finding a specific item (45%) and avoiding the store (42%).

---Women (48%) are more likely than men (37%) to buy a food or drink product online so they can avoid going to the store.

---Mothers are the most likely group overall to purchase food and drinks online in order to avoid the store (52%). Moms are also the most likely to say they purchase food and drinks online to save time (56%).

---Recommendations from family and friends (34%) and coming across products while searching for something else (33%) are the top ways consumers learned about the last food or drink product they bought online.

Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence, which can help YOU better address your own industry challenges. We invite you to come take a look at our service. Call us today at 310-553-0008 and we’ll schedule you for a 15-minute demo.

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