Research: Food Shoppers Rate Traditional Retailers Higher Than Online Offerings

Consumers are changing how they shop for food and beverages. Some shifts, such as a marked increase in fresh food purchases, benefit traditional "brick-and-mortar" retailers while others, such as a growing interest in shopping whenever/wherever and having groceries delivered, benefit online retailers.

While online and nontraditional grocery shopping options proliferate, Technomic research shows that shoppers, including the 25 percent who already shop for groceries online, rate traditional "brick-and-mortar" retailers significantly higher on a large number of key attributes.

Bob Goldin, executive vice president of Technomic, said, "traditional retailers appear to be doing an excellent job in satisfying their customers, as evidenced by the fact that 61 percent say they enjoy the in-store shopping experience."

Goldin believes this high level of satisfaction may limit the potential for many online retailers. "Brick-and-mortar competition is very formidable," he adds.

Kelly Weikel, Technomic's study director, says "online retailers have a number of consumer appeals, but must overcome several major hurdles before they can optimize their potential, including concerns about freshness and order accuracy."

Technomic's research on online and emerging food retail channels covers over 20 discrete emerging channels and 20 specific companies. The firm will conduct a 30-minute complimentary webinar on Dec. 4, 2014, at 10 a.m. CST to discuss key study findings.

To learn more about the study and the upcoming webinar, contact Chris Urban (312-506-3929 or [email protected]) or one of the other Technomic contacts listed below.

Who does better? Shoppers respond