UK shoppers will spend £7.2 billion on food and grocery shopping online by 2014 – nearly double the figure for 2009, according to new research from international grocery analysts IGD.
In 2009, 13 per cent of adults have shopped online for groceries – an increase of 63 per cent on 2006.
Three out of five (61 per cent) online grocery shoppers use more than one online store for their food shopping.
Half (49 per cent) would like to try other supermarket web sites, but many are put off by the perceived effort involved.
Online Shopping 2009, just published by IGD, also found that:
* 30 per cent of online grocery shoppers purchase less often than once a month.
* 24 per cent intend to try an alternative online supermarket in the next three months, and 25 per cent would like to but are put off by the effort involved.
* 34 per cent expect to shop in a variety of outlets, including online, in the next five to ten years (compared to 27 per cent in 2007).
*A further 34 per cent expect to only shop in a supermarket for everything, and seven per cent expect to shop just online for food and groceries.
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive, IGD, said: “Our research shows there is a great opportunity for grocery retailers and manufacturers to encourage shoppers to try online food shopping.
“People are increasingly mixing the channels they use for their weekly or monthly shop. Many are choosing to visit their local store on a regular basis, while purchasing a number of bulk items, like tinned foods and toiletries, online less frequently.
“The future of grocery shopping is ‘multi-channel’, with people shopping in different ways and using various outlets – whether convenience stores, online or hypermarkets.”
According to the Office for National Statistics, 64 per cent of people have shopped online at some point, but only 13 per cent have bought food or groceries in the past year.
More than six in ten (61 per cent) current and potential online shoppers also said that removing delivery charges would be a key trigger for increasing online grocery shopping.
