Half of Online Consumers Have Bought a Grocery Product Online

August 31, 2012

This article is included in these additional categories:

CPG & FMCG | Food & Restaurants | Promotions, Coupons & Co-op | Radio | Retail & E-Commerce | Social Media

nielsen-online-usage-grocery-shopping-activities-august2012.png49% of more than 28,000 online consumers in 56 countries around the world surveyed in Q1 2012 said they had bought a grocery product online in the previous month, per results from a Nielsen study released in August 2012. The internet also counted as a resource for 61% of respondents to conduct grocery shopping research, such as checking prices and reading consumers reviews.

The internet’s influence on grocery shopping extends to other activities, too. 45% used the internet to get information about a product, 43% to search for deals, and one-third to read a grocery retailer’s promotional circular/flyer and look for coupons. 18% provided feedback through social media, and 11% used a digital shopping list.

Many Went Online Daily For Grocery-Related Activities

Among those who said they used the internet for these various grocery shopping-related activities, many did so on at least a daily basis. Of those conducting research online, 37% did so daily, while roughly one-third of those providing feedback through social media, looking for deals, and searching for product information online also did so on a daily basis.

Among those who made a purchase, just 9% reported having done so on a daily basis, while 43% did so weekly, and 48% monthly.

A May 2012 report from MaxPoint Interactive and BIGinsight described a “new normal” in grocery shopping that favored digital research and bargain hunting. More than 90% of American grocery and consumer packaged goods (CPG) shoppers said they regularly research products online before purchasing them in-store. 26% of respondents used some form of digital coupons, and nearly a third of respondents who were mothers used digital methods to find coupons.

More Plan to Buy Food and Beverages Online

Meanwhile, data from Nielsen’s “Global Survey of Digital’s Influence on Grocery Shopping, Q1 2012” indicates that the proportion of global consumers who intend to buy food and beverages via a connected device in the next 3 to 6 months has jumped 44% in the past 2 years, from 18% in Q1 2010 to 26% in Q1 2012.

Even so, fewer respondents plan to purchase food and beverages online in the next 3 to 6 months than a variety of other items, including: apparel/accessory/shoes/jewelry (37%, up from 36%); books/newspaper/magazine, whether a hard copy or physical subscription (33%, down from 44%); travel service reservation (30%, down from 32%); entertainment tickets (30%, up from 20%); and computer/game software (29%, up from 11%).

About The Data: The Nielsen Global Survey of Digital’s Influence on Grocery Shopping was conducted February 10-27, 2012 and polled more than 28,000 consumers in 56 countries throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and North America. The sample has quotas based on age and sex for each country based on their internet users, and is weighted to be representative of internet consumers and has a maximum margin of error of ?0.6%. This Nielsen survey is based on the behavior of respondents with online access only. Internet penetration rates vary by country. Nielsen uses a minimum reporting standard of 60% internet penetration or 10M online population for survey inclusion.

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