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In as early as four years, 70 percent of U.S. consumers could be buying groceries online.
That’s the conclusion of a new study, “Digitally Engaged Food Shopper,” conducted by the Food Marketing Institute and Nielsen Holdings PLC. By 2022 at the earliest and 2024 at the latest, 70 percent of those surveyed for the study said they will be shopping online, generating $100 billion in sales.
In previous studies, FMI and Nielsen had forecasted the $100 billion sales mark would be reached by 2025.
“Omnichannel shopping has passed the tipping point with online grocery shopping on an accelerated path to industry saturation,” according to the study. “The pace of change and adoption has far outrun initial predictions.”
The study also outlined six “digital transformation imperatives for omnichannel success”:
- Align Organizational Structures for Omnichannel Success: Integrate digital offerings in parallel with brick-and-mortar operations.
- Address Discrepant Datasets: Scrub master data files for discrepancies; strength in data and accuracy is a critical component to successfully support online sale efforts.
- Integrate Forecasts to Increase Operational Efficiencies: Integrate online and offline forecasting so the right amount of inventory is available to meet orders through either channel.
- Optimize Shopper Insights: Bring retailer and manufacturer shopper information together into a single, comprehensive view of customer insights.
- Improve Marketing and Promotions: Optimize the management of omnichannel marketing and promotions.
- Merge Digital and In-Store Shelf Capabilities: Manage the physical shelf and its digital counterpart to create a seamless shopping experience, where consumers see the same information both on or offline.
