More grocery shoppers look to return to stores

With the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccinations readily available, more grocery shoppers feel comfortable returning to stores, a new survey by The Feedback Group showed.

Over four times as many consumers plan to shop more often in a grocery store this year versus those who plan to shop less, according to The Feedback Group’s Grocery Shopper Intention Monitor, released yesterday. Of 2,250 consumers polled, 40% said they plan to shop more at a physical store for groceries over the next 12 months, compared with 9% reporting they’ll shop brick-and-mortar locations less. Fifty-one percent plan to go to stores for food shopping at the same rate as they do now.

Preferences for in-store grocery shopping varied across demographic lines, the Lake Success, N.Y.-based researcher said. Among urban consumers, 44% said they aim to grocery-shop more often at stores, exceeding the percentages for suburban (40%) and rural (34%) shoppers saying they’ll do so. Fifty-eight percent of Generation Z customers expect to do more food shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, compared with 49% for Millennials, 42% for Generation X and 32% for Baby Boomers.

Demographically, those who plan to shop less at physical stores for groceries are led by Millennial (15%), Gen Z (14%) and urban (14%) consumers, the study revealed.

The Feedback Group’s Grocery Shopper Intention Monitor, a new report, tracks expected future grocery shopping in stores and online as well as among specific retailers. The study polled 2,250 consumers who shopped any food store or online provider for food or groceries at least once the past 30 days, including 1,250 in-store and 1,000 online grocery shoppers.

“As we look forward, our research reveals that many shoppers anticipate returning to shopping in stores for food and groceries across a variety of formats,” Brian Numainville, a principal of The Feedback Group, said in a statement. “As a result, it is important for stores to provide the best possible experience to welcome food shoppers back and retain them.”