Shoppers Choosing Grocery Pickup over Delivery

A new survey says grocery pickup is growing in popularity, but online delivery orders may have peaked.

Mercatus found 75% of consumers prefer grocery pickup over delivery when it comes to online ordering. Sixty-one percent of the more than 40,000 participants in the survey said they tried curbside pickup during the past year. That is an increase from 57% in 2020. However, 46% said they had used home delivery at least once in the past month, which was unchanged from 2020.

When asked why they preferred grocery pickup, the costs of delivery fees and surcharges were the main reasons. While 57% of online customers say that quick delivery is important, only 15% of shoppers were willing to pay extra for home delivery.

Mercatus believes the growing popularity of grocery pickup services will results in diminishing use of home delivery. Before the pandemic, 27% of respondents said they preferred using delivery and that number climbed to 41% during the height of the pandemic.

The company expects consumers choosing home delivery to drop to 24%, especially as retailers continue to improve and expand their curbside pickup options for shoppers.

Sylvain Perrier, president & CEO at Mercatus, said, “Pickup services offer grocers more control over the cost to serve online customers than third-party delivery. Online customers love the precision, flexibility and overall convenience that store pickup provides. And when done well, pickup services make for a better overall shopping experience that builds lasting connections with customers, which will lead to repeat business for grocers.”

U.S. grocery customers also seem to prefer using mobile shopping for orders. When asked how they will be ordering groceries in the coming year, 14 percent said mobile devices. Shoppers were drawn to using their preferred retailer’s app for both in-store assistance for promotions and self-checkout.