The £2.4bn UK online grocery market will more than double over the next five years to reach £5bn in 2012, according to research by the Institute of Grocery Distribution.
Online grocery retailing sales have grown by nearly a third in the past year. Meanwhile, overall growth in the grocery sector is predicted to remain steady, averaging 3.2 per cent over the next five years, boosting the market value to £156bn by 2012.
“While supermarkets will be enduringly successful, alternative retail channels, including online and specialist stores, will play an important role,” explains Gavin Rothwell, senior business analyst, IGD.
“The online grocery market is still only two per cent of the total market, but is growing over six times as fast. We’ve become used to buying music, books and holidays online, but the technological revolution has yet to impact the way most of us buy our groceries.
“However, recent social and technological changes now mean that logging on for the weekly shop is rapidly becoming routine for a greater numbers of Britons. These changes include the swift uptake of broadband at home, and people becoming more familiar with the technology.”
