The evolution of the Internet and technology has greatly revolutionized our trading and commercial industry. Gone are the days when shopping was only at the brick and mortar stores. Online shopping has ceased to be just a fad enjoyed by the millennial and rather a lifestyle for everybody. Online supermarkets have been increasing exponentially and taking a recognizable market share in the industry.
Major players in the wholesale and retail market such as Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target have recognized how online shopping is immensely growing with a lot of people diving into the trend. A study was conducted and showed that the market share of shoppers who purchase groceries online in the past year moved from being less than a quarter to well over a third. Additionally, the U.S online grocery survey 2019 reported that 36.8% of 1,888 internet-using adults polled bought groceries online in the previous 12 months, up from 23.1% in 2018.
There are a variety of online supermarkets that offer an array of products for shoppers from food to clothing to gym equipment. The online competition is cut-throat with many e-commerce businesses coming up with online flyers such as the flyers on Kimbino. Shoppers can purchase products at competitive rates at the comfort of their homes.
Who are online shoppers?
It’s not shocking to report that millennials are spearheading when it comes to online shopping. This is due to the youngsters being technologically savvy as compared to Gen X. Data from International Research Institute say that about 55% of shoppers between the ages of 25 to 34 purchase their groceries online. This isn’t to say that the older generation doesn’t do their shopping online. 45% of individuals aged 35 to 44 and 35% of those aged 45 to 54 buy their food and groceries online.
What are the common commodities bought online?
Clothing and home appliances are the leading good purchased online. Reports from a study showed that 18.9% of apparel and 10% of homeware is specifically bought online by the consumers.
Food and groceries, for good reason, is one of the less developed sectors when it comes to online shopping with only 5.5% of all spending being made online. This is due to the perishability of the products and the majority of the consumers would rather purchase these products fresh from the store.
Major retailers such as Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target are trying to break this barrier. Which can be done with the idea of order fulfillment in mind. They have developed online grocery shopping Apps in a bid to curb competition and ease the shopping experience to their consumers. These major retailers understand the need for motivating consumers digitally to evolve their brands and position themselves in the market.
Fun facts on online shopping trends
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Voice is just for hype
Major retailers’ emphasize on the good use of voice ordering in the malls and stores as a way of customer attraction. This is an old marketing hack that used to work but not anymore in the 21st century. The reality of the matter is that only 3.1% of all grocery shoppers bought something using voice-based ordering. This is a negligible number as compared to the numbers online advertising brings.
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Online is bigger and better
It’s often true that what you order online may not be necessarily what is delivered at the door. Many e-commerce businesses aim to please their consumers and acquire customer retention hence tend to increase the size or the number of the product delivered to their clients. This has drawn a lot of shoppers to acquire goods in bulk and get free shipping from the sellers
Conclusion
Online shopping is here and here to stay! The best thing any e-commerce business is hopping onto this online shopping bus and explore all avenues. Just this year, a study shows that the U.S. food and beverage e-commerce sales will grow from 18.2% to $19.89 billion and $38.16 billion by 2021.