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The Future of Grocery: Online Grocery, Meal Kits, & Direct-to-Consumer Food, 3rd Edition

Publisher Packaged Facts
Published Jun 30, 2025
Length 336 Pages
SKU # LA20156383

Description

In 2024, online grocery sales accounted for 11% of total grocery spending in the US, nearly four times the share of spending just five years earlier. Growth will be driven by consumer interest in convenience in terms of not only shopping time and delivery options, but also with meal planning and preparations.

The Future of Grocery: Online Grocery, Meal Kits, & Direct-to-Consumer Food examines the dynamics of the current landscape of the online food and beverage market. Consumer demographics, perceptions, motivations, and behavior are examined as pertaining to dietary choices and use of food delivery and pickup services. Attitudes on food, diet, health, and product packaging are studied. Effects of recent historical trends on consumers – including the COVID-19 pandemic and the inflation era – are considered in both a broad sense and in the context of the online grocery market.

The reasons for and implications of shifts in consumer perception and behavior are analyzed in the context of present and future market opportunities.

Market size data are provided at the retail sales level for 2019-2024, and projections are provided for 2025-2029 and 2034.

This report provides information about online retail sales of food and beverages to consumers in the following product categories:shelf-stable foods and beverages in cans, bottles, or other packaging (including alcoholic beverages)meal kits and prepared mealsperishables such as fresh fruits and vegetablesdairy and egg productsmeat, poultry, and seafoodbakery itemsfrozen foods

This report includes online sales of such items from:
store-based grocers (e.g., Kroger, Safeway, ALDI)
mass merchandisers (e.g., Walmart, Target) and warehouse clubs (e.g., Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s)
online-based grocers (e.g., Amazon, Thrive Market, Hungryroot)
brands that sell their own food products via their websites, direct-to-consumer
meal kit and prepared meal delivery services (e.g., HelloFresh, Sakara Life, Factor)
third-party pack-and-deliver companies that use their own workforce to purchase groceries at various stores and deliver them to customers (e.g., Instacart)

local co-ops and farmers’ markets that arrange for subscriptions, single orders, and pickup or delivery digitallyOnline sales made via website or app – whether delivered to a customer via shipment or local delivery, picked up in-store, or received via curbside pickup – are all included.

Table of Contents

336 Pages
    • The Future of Grocery Delivery
    • Online Grocery Shopping Driven by Convenience
    • Opportunities for Growth
    • Scope
    • Methodology
    • Highlights
    • The COVID-19 Pandemic Was the Jumpstart the Online Grocery Market Needed
    • Rising Prices: From Supply Chain Crunches to Inflation
    • Snacking and Healthy Eating Habits
    • Work Habits
    • Personal Feelings of Wellbeing
    • Highlights
    • Convenience the Ultimate Selling Point for Busy Consumers
    • US Online Grocery Shopping Well Behind Other Countries, but There Are Opportunities for Expansion and Continued Household Adoption
    • Clean Label Trends and Increasing Focus on Healthy Foods
    • Direct Sellers and Home Delivery Companies
    • Brick and Mortar Stores Expanding and Promoting E-Commerce Options
    • Meal Kit Delivery Services
    • Meal Delivery Services
    • Community Supported Agriculture and Farmers' Markets
    • Concerns about Food Waste
    • Highlights
    • Historical Online Grocery Market
    • Online Grocery Forecast
    • Meal Kit Forecast
    • Highlights
    • Use of Food Carryout and Delivery Methods in 2024 and 2025
    • Use of Online Grocery Ordering/Delivery Services
    • Online Purchases of Alcoholic Beverages
    • Use of Meal Kit and Subscription Box Services
    • Highlights
    • Targeting Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation, Who Are Less Likely to Shop Online
    • Increasing Product Offerings to Further Blur the Lines Between Groceries, Meal Kits, and Prepared Meals
    • Expansion of Meal Delivery Options for Children and Families
    • Appealing to Customers Trying to Resist Impulse Buys
    • Further Acceptance of the Outsourcing of Individual Item Selection
    • Label Readers Can Get Additional Product Information Online
    • AI-Powered Voice Technology for Increased Convenience
    • VR and AR Shopping Experiences
    • Artificial Intelligence for Video Marketing, "Shoppable Videos", and Improving the Shopping Experience
    • Micro-Fulfillment Can Boost Profits and Delivery Speeds
    • Robotics and Fulfillment Automation
    • New Delivery Methods
    • Creating a Seamless Omnichannel Experience
    • Target Special Occasions to Interest Infrequent Customers
    • Offering Expiring/Clearance Items for Sale Online
    • Meal Kits and Prepared Meal Delivery Services Can Reduce Food Waste at Home
    • Highlights
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Venture Capital Stimulating Startups, Though Consolidation is Afoot as Some E-Grocers Are Struggling
    • Online Grocery Market Share
    • Meal Kit Delivery Services Market Share
    • Competing Products and Services
    • Highlights
    • Trends by Gender
    • Trends by Age
    • Patterns Based on Household Income
    • Regional Differences
    • Urban, Suburban, and Rural Consumers
    • Educational Attainment
    • Employment Status
    • Presence of Children in the Household and Marital/Partnership Status
    • Race/Ethnicity
    • Plant-Forward Consumers
    • Highlights
    • Strong Overlap with Clean Label Ideals
    • Food Attitudes
    • Attitudes on Food Convenience and Being Busy
    • Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning Behavior
    • Willingness to Pay More for Convenient Food Delivery or Premium Foods
    • Special Diets/Eating Restrictions/Food Preferences
    • Reasons for Consumers Ordering Groceries or Meal Kits Online
    • Why Do So Many Online Shoppers Not Shop for Groceries or Meal Kits Online?
    • Highlights
    • The Balance Between Effective, Sustainable, and Low-Cost Packaging
    • Targeting Excessive Packaging for Reduction and Elimination
    • Protective Packaging Is Important For Product Integrity
    • A Shift from Expensive Set-Up Boxes to Other Paper Packaging
    • Reusable Packaging
    • Opportunities for Biodegradable and Compostable Packaging
    • Consumer Insights on Recycling, Household Waste, and Packaging

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