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Months ago, Amazon and Walmart tried luring shoppers to grocery delivery with speedy fulfillment and steep discounts. What they actually needed was a shelter-in-place order.
Wary of coronavirus exposure from the grocery store, shoppers are switching in droves from IRL to virtual carts.
- On March 22, 41% of shoppers said they were grocery shopping online, up from 11% on March 1, per CivicScience.
- By March 15, average daily app downloads for Instacart had surged 218% from the February average, per Apptopia. Walmart Grocery downloads increased 160%.
Sound familiar? Online grocery retailers in China recorded sales increases at the height of the country’s coronavirus outbreak.
Why it matters: Pre-pandemic, only 6% of U.S. adults had tried and liked online grocery shopping. Now, it’s up to 12%. That jump wasn’t from a major marketing campaign but from necessity.
I think the trend will last. Experts say it takes 21 days to build a habit—so by the time the sneeze guards come down at Wegmans, shoppers may be too comfortable with D2C (direct to countertop) grocery to go back.
I want to hear from you. Will coronavirus convince more Americans to use grocery delivery in the long term? Cast your vote here.