Most consumers are not grocery shopping online -- for now
Only about 9 percent of U.S. adults are placing grocery orders online once a month, and only 4% of consumers are shopping in this manner weekly.
By contrast, almost all Americans say someone in their family shops for groceries in person at least once a month, with 83% going at least once a week.
The estimates of current retail and online grocery shopping are from Gallup's annual Consumption Habits survey, conducted July 5-9.
At this point, online grocery shopping appears to be an adjunct to retail shopping rather than a replacement, as most shoppers whose families purchase groceries online once or twice a month or more say they still visit a store to buy groceries at least once a week.
Fifteen percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 29 say they purchase groceries online at least monthly, similar to the 12% among those 30 to 49 and 10% of those 50 to 64. These figures all contrast sharply with the negligible 2% of those aged 65 and older who shop for groceries online at least once a month. At the same time, age has little relationship to shopping in person at grocery stores, which is nearly universal across all age groups.
Americans living in the eastern U.S. and those residing in cities are modestly more likely than their counterparts to use online grocery shopping technology. Working adults, perhaps because they have less time to shop, are almost twice as likely as those who aren't working to do their grocery shopping online. Income is not related to online shopping for groceries.
Gallup last asked Americans about their weekly food spending in 2012. At that time, the median expenditure per U.S. household on food was $125 a week. Since then, Americans' weekly spending on food has remained stable, with a median of $130 in 2017.
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted July 5-9, 2017, with a random sample of 1,021 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
To see more of the Gallup data, click here.