Online grocery shopping hit an all time high of £1.2 billion throughout April and May as the lockdown forced nearly 5 million new households online.
In the four weeks to May 16th online grocery spend jumped a whipping 103 per cent year-on-year to hit record highs, accounting for 13 per cent of total grocery spending for the first time, according to new data from Neilsen.
This nearly doubled from seven per cent a year earlier and rose sharply from 10 per cent just a month before, representing online grocery’s highest share of the market to date.
The number of online orders also nearly doubled from last year, rising from 4.8 million to 7.9 million with 1.1 million of those representing new online shoppers.
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In-store sales still grew 6.6 per cent, despite a 24 per cent decrease in overall footfall, and average spend per visit shot up 45 per cent to £21.6.
“Following over eight weeks in lockdown, UK shoppers are more accustomed to restricted living, and have adapted their grocery shopping habits to match,” Nielsen’s UK head of retailer and business insight Mike Watkins said.
“With social distancing continuing to be a way of life for the foreseeable future, online shopping will continue and shoppers will begin to add more discretionary treats and indulgences back into the weekly shop.
“We’ll also continue to see an increase in basket sizes, as consumers focus on cooking their own meals whilst pubs and restaurants remain closed.”
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