The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak determined a change in consumers' shopping behaviors in Africa. In 2020, 70 percent of Nigerian e-commerce users were planning to do less supermarket shopping even after the pandemic. The same was true for 65 percent of South Africans and 64 percent of Kenyans. Moreover, increased online grocery shopping after the health crisis was expected by 48 percent of Egyptian digital shoppers.

According to a survey carried out in March 2020 in Colombia, nearly 57 percent of respondents preferred doing grocery shopping in the low-cost supermarket D1. Justo y Bueno, D1's direct competitor, was also preferred by a high portion of respondents, with 40.9 percent. D1, which is operated by Koba Colmbia S.A.S., is among the leading food retailers in Colombia by sales revenue, and the leading supermarket in terms of number of stores.

When asked in 2021 whether they would continue shopping for food online once the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has subsided, an estimated third of consumers in the United Kingdom stated they would, but not as frequently. Just under a fifth of UK shoppers had no intention of buying groceries on the web post pandemic.

Online grocery shopping habits in the UK

Ever since the coronavirus crisis first took off in early 2020, it affected many UK consumers in the way they usually bought groceries. Some started stockpiling hygiene products, while others had their supermarket necessities delivered to their doorstep in order to avoid the crowds. By May of that year, over 30 percent of shoppers in the UK stated they had increased their online shopping activity for groceries. Some of the grocery items most purchased by UK shoppers on the web were alcoholic drinks and chilled foods.

What are some of the biggest grocery stores in Great Britain?

In Great Britain, there are many grocery stores that make up a fair chunk of the market, including Aldi, Waitrose, Iceland. In the past few years, however, Tesco was and has remained the unequivocal leader, accounting for a market share of just under 30 percent. Going head-to-head at roughly 15 percent of the market each, Sainsbury’s and Asda ranked second and third, respectively.

According to a survey on supermarket shopping activity in the Middle East during the COVID-19 pandemic, UAE had the highest decrease in supermarket shopping activity, with 64 percent of respondents claiming that they shopped less in supermarkets. By comparison, Oman had the lowest decrease in supermarket activity at 44 percent.

According to a survey in 2021, the share of people in Australia who bought groceries in-store has decreased from 80 percent to 75 percent after the coronavirus pandemic. Among the respondents, the percentage of respondents who prefer to buy groceries online has increased from 14 percent to 18 percent.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, only seven percent of grocery retail sales involved e-commerce channels. During the peak of the emergency, the e-commerce share of grocery retail grew to ten percent, while a study showed that online shopping of grocery products is here to stay. Indeed, the current share of global e-commerce penetration was valued at nine percent.

In March 2020, during the COVID-19 quarantine, around 68.5 percent of Colombians preferred doing their grocery shopping in low-cost supermarkets whereas 32.2 percent preferred going to supermarkets. During this month, 16.2 percent used online channels to do their shopping, out of which 7.5 percent preferred the low-cost grocery shipping platform Merqueo.

Sales from grocery delivery and pickup in the United States have shown some growth and later fluctuations during the reported period. Online grocery sales initially surged in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In August 2019, sales were 1.2 billion U.S. dollars and grew to four billion dollars in March of 2020, a 233 percent increase. December 2022 saw the highest sales figures at 7.6 billion U.S. dollars. As of May 2023, online grocery deliveries and in-store pickups reached 5.7 billions dollars.

According to a survey conducted in March 2020, 31 percent of Generation Z/ Millennial shoppers (aged 18 to 39 years old) stated that they had changed their grocery shopping habits in response to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Overall, 23 percent of total U.S. shoppers reported a change in shopping behavior.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

According to a survey conducted from 24th to 26th March 2020, 75 percent of Thai respondents stated that they still visited grocery stores after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a change in grocery shopping behavior among Thai consumers.

Consumer behavior during the pandemic Although consumers are still visiting grocery stores, they preferred to buy items in bulk from supermarkets or hypermarkets to reduce the frequency of going grocery shopping and thus minimize the risk of infection. Consumers tend to buy certain food products more compared to before the pandemic such as instant noodles and dry foods, since they are convenient for emergency scenarios. Purchasing behavior has also been affected by the rise of internet use because of limited outdoor activities due to COVID-19 regulations.

Transition towards online grocery shopping More consumers in Thailand are shopping for groceries online. Grocery stores have already been quick to implement their online platforms to meet this rising demand by launching online shopping websites and smartphone applications. Several brands are also offering contactless payment methods, even though Thai consumers largely preferred paying with cash.

The channels used for grocery shopping have changed for many households in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-six percent of respondents stated that they typically bought groceries from online retailers, with a further 21 percent of respondents reporting that they were now using this channel as a result of the coronavirus.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

According to recent data, globally the market for edible groceries grew by 7.4 percent in the post-COVID-19 period in 2020. The growth for edible groceries varied worldwide, from an impressive 7.8 percent in the United States to a humble 0.6 percent in the United Kingdom (UK).

According to a survey conducted in Indonesia in 2023, around 41 percent of respondents from Gen Z bought more groceries online than they did before COVID-19. Meanwhile, around 37 percent of those surveyed from Gen Y claimed to have done so.

Though the share of shoppers who buy groceries online in Mexico has been changing in the last years, by far the most important development in recent times was observed with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of the 3,174 Mexican shoppers who participated in a 2020 survey, when asked about their consumption on supermarkets, 80.31 percent stated shopping only in-store before the outbreak, compared to only 2.3 percent who always used a delivery system. For markets, the values were equal to 63 percent and 2.02 percent, respectively. After the confinement measures implemented by the governnment, figures changed drastically, with around 17.08 percent of shoppers surveyed only shopping through delivery services when purchasing in supermarkets, and 13.52 percent of them using this same purchase modality for markets.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, online delivery orders surged in the United States. Up to 70 percent of grocery shoppers purchased non perishable packaged foods like cereals or sneaks on the internet in 2021, while they were only 58 percent in 2017. More than half of respondents also adopted online shopping for fresh and frozen foods, as well as drinks.

The online grocery craze One of the most visible shifts in U.S. consumer demand and behavior after the COVID-19 pandemic can be seen in regard to grocery shopping. Since April 2020, grocery delivery and pick up sales remained well above five billion dollars per month. Particularly among older generations, consumers seemed keen on buying groceries online in the future, as they did during the pandemic.

Food delivery: a tale of two sides Not only the amount and type of food that U.S. customers buy and sometimes stockpile has shifted, but also the preferred avenues. Around one-third of surveyed shoppers indicate a willingness to keep using Amazon Fresh or DoorDash to have food home delivered. Other widely chosen options include local grocery stores, chain restaurants, and online grocery sites. In return, app downloads of online grocery delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Instacart are surging.

But while these services offer customers a safe and flexible alternative to jammed grocery stores or restaurants, companies like Instacart also face criticism for their treatment of delivery workers. As couriers are hired as gig workers instead of employees, they do not receive sick pay or other health benefits. Seeing that these contractors have worked on the frontlines of the pandemic, their lack of financial and physical protection remains an ongoing point of contention.

According to a survey on consumer behavior in Central American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half of respondents expected a decrease in the time allocated to online food and non-food shopping. Moreover, 17 percent forecast, on the contrary, an increase in the time invested buying groceries over the internet, while 15 percent expected the same regarding non-food purchases.

As of March 2020, 17 percent of consumers in the United States expected that they would increase spending on grocery delivery services because of the coronavirus pandemic. 61 percent of consumers did not expect their spending behavior on such services to change.

Changing purchasing patterns due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Consumers in the United States reported little behavior change in terms of planned trips to the grocery store, though the selection of items purchased once there has undoubtedly been influenced by the pandemic. Sales of non-perishable foods surged in the United States in March due to consumer's fear over coronavirus. Packaged goods saw the highest percentage of sales growth out of all edible grocery items.

Consumer response to COVID-19 The majority of American consumers planned on avoiding shops and malls due to the COVID-19 outbreak. About 28 percent of Americans are stockpiling groceries, including panic-buying toilet paper and hand sanitizer in large quantities. As such, paper products have seen a 59 percent increase in sales growth. The vast majority of Americans think that any food and supply shortages in local grocery stores due to coronavirus (COVID-19) will be caused by people stockpiling foods and other products.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

According to a survey carried out in the United Kingdom in January 2021, about 27 percent of respondents reported that they tried shopping with a supermarket online for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2022 about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on grocery shopping behavior, around 79 percent of respondents stated they would keep they online grocery shopping at the same level as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 19 percent stated that they did even more online shopping after the pandemic started, while close to three percent stated that they did less than before.

Since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic engulfed the world in 2020, shoppers in the United States have changed their behavior in many ways. Consumers in the United States, for instance, have been more cautious about buying food at the grocery store: nearly a third of grocery store shoppers in the country were buying less frequently at counter services areas. Another third stopped using self-serve food bars completely since the crisis.