Some 35% of consumers would be willing to leave their preferred grocers for others that allow them to pay in-store in a touchless manner, according to an analysis of data from Pymnts.com and digital payment solutions firm ACI Worldwide.
The survey of more than 2,000 adult US consumers, which addressed grocery shopping habits since the pandemic, also showed contactless credit cards (43%) and contactless debit cards (39%) are the two most preferred touchless payment options, followed by digital wallets (30%), cards on file (25%) and QR codes (18%).
The survey also showed that 42% of Millennials and 41% of Gen X consumers are willing to switch to grocery stores that offer touchless payment options. In addition, 17% of consumers who do not use contactless credit cards would like to, and 15% of consumers who do not use contactless debit cards would like to.
“In the wake of the pandemic, a new type of consumer is emerging, one who shops less in-store and represents a quickly growing part of the digital-first economy,” said Debbie Guerra, executive vice president, ACI Worldwide. “For grocery stores, this is a huge opportunity to cater to these consumers by providing digital and contactless payment options.”
Nearly four times more grocery shoppers (16%) have shifted to buying more groceries online than in-store compared to the start of the pandemic (4%).
Overall, the survey shows that 64% of the US population are omni-channel shoppers who make use of digital channels to buy at least some of their groceries online.
The most popular delivery channels consumers have used when shopping online for groceries during the pandemic are home delivery (23%), curbside pickup (21%) and in-store pickup (12%).
Among the study’s key findings:
- 79% of all grocery shoppers still prefer to buy at least some of their groceries in-store
- 64% buy at least one of their routine grocery purchases online
- 16% of all grocery shoppers are buying fewer groceries in-store and more online than prior to the pandemic, compared to 4 percent who had shifted from in-store to online back in March
- 80% of all consumers who buy groceries report purchasing them in-store
- 17% of all consumers have switched from grocery shopping in-store to online since the start of the pandemic
- Consumers are buying non-food items such as shampoo, first-aid items and cleaning products (21%), as well as packaged food products (14%) online
- Consumers are purchasing items in-store when buying fruits and vegetables (83%), fresh meats (81%) and dairy products (77%)
- Consumers say they are ordering groceries online with the following delivery channels more now than they did before the pandemic
Home delivery (23%); Curbside pickup (21%); and In-store pickup (12%). - Grocery shoppers who shop online are acquiring their digital purchases through
Home-delivery (42%); Curbside pickup (40%); and In-store pickup (35%). - 43% of consumers who have never purchased groceries online would be “very” or “extremely” interested in using digital payment options, and 38 percent would be “somewhat” interested.
- 41% of consumers who have already used touchless payments in-store are even more willing to make the switch
- 37% of high-income and 37 percent of low-income consumers are more likely to want to shop in stores that provide touchless payments options
- Usage of digital wallets remains relatively low compared to the growing interest in them. There is a gap between the usage and demand for digital wallets (8%) and cards on file (8.8%)
- 61% of all consumers buy their groceries at large national chains, with Walmart being the preferred merchant for 67 percent of all consumers, followed by Target (33%) and Costco (26%)
- 28% of all consumers shop at small, local grocery stores, and 14 percent buy from local convenience stores
- 25% buy groceries from online grocers of all sizes
“While consumers are still purchasing their groceries in-store, particularly when buying perishable items such as fresh meats, fruits and vegetables, the survey shows an increase in online grocery shopping since the pandemic began,” Guerra continued. “Consumers’ need for these necessities, coupled with the need to stay safe during the pandemic, is driving online grocery shopping whether for home delivery or curbside pickup. We expect this trend to increase as COVID-19 cases continue to climb in the U.S.”
