Importance of factors when choosing stores for grocery shopping U.S. 2023

Store environment was the leading factor when choosing which store to shop at for groceries among grocery shoppers in U.S. households in June 2023. Other leading factors included the variety of the product range, proximity to home and workplace, and the offers, discounts, and promotions offered by the grocery store.

Continued importance of attracting customers

There is a huge market for groceries in the United States, with store sales having increased over the last number of years. U.S. grocery store sales amounted to around 848 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Whilst the e-commerce market in the U.S. is constantly growing and evolving, the share of consumers buying groceries online remained low. Therefore, it is important for grocery retailers to continue to work to entice customers to shop with them in brick-and-mortar stores to capture as many sales as possible.

Why do shoppers still prefer physical stores when grocery shopping?

Not being able to pick your own products is seen as the leading disadvantage of online grocery shopping, according to consumers who have used the online service. Other notable disadvantages were not being able to return items easily, receiving spoiled or broken products, and receiving products which aren’t as fresh as those in-store.