November sees record 78M online grocery shoppers, beating pandemic high

Households making online grocery orders reached a record 77.8 million in November, eclipsing the previous record of 76.7 million set in April 2020, the first full month of the COVID pandemic, according to the monthly Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopper Survey.

A 15% year-over-year jump in monthly active users drove the $9.6 billion in monthly sales, up 17.8% from the same period a year ago. 

Of the three fulfillment methods for online orders—delivery, pickup, and ship-to-home—both delivery and pickup reported $3.9 billion in sales, up 22% and 8% year over year, respectively, while ship-to-home stood at $1.7 billion, up 30% compared to the same period a year ago. 

Pickup accounted for 41.3% of all online grocery sales, delivery 40.6%, and ship-to-home 18.1%. 

“An 8% increase in (delivery’s) monthly active user base and higher order activity led to the surge in sales, while the average order value remained flat versus last year,” the report stated. “Delivery results for November extend the segment’s strong growth trend that began in June 2024, fueled by the ongoing waves of deep-discounted offers on membership and subscription programs from various retailers and providers which first started appearing in May.”

Pickup’s monthly active user base grew 9%, despite a 4.5% year-over-year decline in average order volume, which was driven by a pullback in order for shoppers between the ages 18 and 29.

The ship-to-home method of order fulfillment saw its monthly active user base grow the fastest at 11% year over year. 

“Supermarkets experienced a significant surge in their monthly active user base, benefitting from widespread and deep discounts on membership and subscription programs offered by both national and regional grocers throughout November,” said David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click, in a prepared statement. “And, while that’s a positive sign for Supermarkets, the race to retain customers and grow share-of-wallet with them is only intensifying among rivals.”

Mass merchandise stores saw their user base expand by less than 1% year over year, maintaining its position as the largest share of monthly active users compared to traditional grocers and other formats, the report noted. Order frequency in mass was up 9% year over year, driven largely by double-digit gains in the ship-to-home method of delivery. 

The satisfaction rate for online grocery sales reached 65.2% in November, the high score in four years and the third highest since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March 2020. 

“Driving larger orders and fostering repeat purchases requires creating a more personalized and seamless online grocery shopping experience,” said Mark Fairhurst, chief growth officer at Mercatus. “By offering tailored product recommendations based on customer preferences and lifestyles, alongside easy-to-use rewards programs and intuitive navigation, grocers can strengthen customer loyalty, build trust, and sustain long-term growth in the online grocery space.”