Brits are leading a global surge in multichannel shopping, with the Koreans and French not far behind, but the high street looks far from doomed as 99% of all shoppers also go instore.
According to new insights from DunnHumby, emerging markets like China and Poland are growing at a rate of 97% and even established markets – including the UK – have grown by more than 30%.
Even the most established online grocery categories are seeing significant growth. The three categories with the highest share of online sales – frozen meat, baby food and baby care, and canned food – have an average annual online growth rate of 21%.
However, the US online grocery market is still lagging behind, with the study showing how important physical stores are in the States when it comes to gaining consumer acceptance for new products.
Some 26% of American shoppers consider household items an important category for online shopping, but just 8% say it is likely they would buy a product for the first time in this category online.
DunnHumby global director of customer knowledge Julian Highley said: “Across the globe, there’s a marked increase in multichannel grocery shopping, particularly among time and sleep starved parents who benefit most from being able to shop any time, without leaving home.
“While there is strong multichannel growth throughout the world, there are particular challenges in the US preventing the market from reaching the same level of development as elsewhere. In smaller cities, it’s likely that click and collect services will be the dominant method for online shopping.”
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