Best Online Grocery Stores in the US
The coronavirus pandemic has massively reshaped consumer behavior. Not only have consumers started spending more time on social media, but they are also doing more online shopping. Grocery shopping is no exception to this.
Before COVID-19, the ecommerce share of US grocery sales for 2020 was forecast at 4.3 percent. But as brick-and-mortar stores shut and consumers began purchasing groceries online, the forecast was revised to 10.2%—more than double the original.
So where do US consumers consider to be the best places to order groceries online in the US?
Best places to order groceries online in the US
Recent analysis shows that in 2022, the list of the best online grocery stores in the US, as ranked by industry experts, was topped by Amazon and Walmart. Incidentally, they are also the two largest retailers in the country in terms of sales.
Amazon’s online grocery sales hit $48.3 billion in 2022. In comparison, Walmart, ranked as the second-best place to buy groceries online in the US, brought in $25.5 billion in online grocery sales, nearly half of Amazon’s. Together, Walmart and Amazon generated $73.8 billion in online grocery sales in 2022, clearly dominating the online grocery market in the US.
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According to experts’ estimates, Amazon is set to grow its online grocery net sales over the next few years. By 2027, the leading ecommerce company is expected to see digital grocery sales increase by $32.2 billion on 2022’s numbers, to $80.5 billion. Walmart’s grocery sales are also set to rise, by $12.2 billion, to a total of $47.7 billion.
The third best place to buy groceries online is Walgreens. The Illinois-headquartered company generated $14.7 billion in net sales in 2022. It’s also among the 10 largest retailers in the US, in sixth place.
After Walgreens is Kroger, whose online grocery sales in 2022 hit $13.4 billion. Amazon, Walmart, Walgreens, and Kroger are the only four digital grocery stores whose online net sales exceeded $10 billion in 2022.
CVS rounds out the five best online grocery stores, with $9.4 billion in digital grocery sales in 2022. This is followed by Ahold Delhaize and Target, with sales of $5.6 billion and $5.5 billion, respectively. Costco wraps up the list of the best online grocery stores in the US, as digital grocery sales hit $3.5 billion in 2022.