Online grocery sales accounted for 13% of all UK grocery spend in the four weeks to 16 May, according to Nielsen data.
This is almost double the level recorded in the same period last year (7%), and marks a new high point for online grocery in the UK market, according to the research firm.
It said that 7.9 million UK households placed an online grocery order over the four-week period, up from 4.8 million in the same period last year.
In addition, 1.1 million of these were new users of online grocery platforms, it said.
Clear Winner
"Online has been a clear winner over the lockdown period, as shoppers take advantage of retailers’ increased delivery capacity," commented Mike Watkins, Nielsen’s UK head of retailer and business insight.
“With social distancing continuing to be a way of life for the foreseeable future, online shopping will continue and shoppers will begin to add more discretionary treats and indulgences back into the weekly shop."
Nielsen data also showed that store visits were down 24% in the past four weeks, however spend per visit was higher than at Christmas time, up 45% on the same period last year.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
