U.S. online grocery sales surged 32 percent year-over-year in December to a record $12.7 billion, according to the latest Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey.
The record performance reflects higher order frequency, increased spending rates and a larger user base than December 2024. Online share of total grocery spending reached 19 percent, the highest since May 2020.
“December set a record high for monthly eGrocery sales, closing out the year with a bang although gains were unevenly distributed across formats and banners,” said David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click. “Structural shifts in shopping behavior drove much of eGrocery’s growth in 2025, and this will create stiffer headwinds in 2026, especially for regional grocers.”
Order frequency climbed year-over-year for the 16th consecutive month in December, increasing 8 percent versus last year. Monthly active users completed an average of 2.9 orders during the month, and more than half completed three or more orders, breaking the record set the previous month. The core 30-44-year-old group posted the biggest increase, jumping 17 percent versus last year and completing an average of 3.2 orders during the month.
The share of monthly active users who chose to receive orders via multiple methods (delivery, pickup and/or ship-to-home) rose rapidly in December, while the share using only one method continued to contract. While the overall user base expanded by about 10 percent during December, each receiving method experienced larger year-over-year gains in their specific user base.
The average order value for online grocery orders across all three fulfillment methods climbed nearly 11 percent in December compared to last year. Ship-to-home posted the strongest gain at 14 percent, boosted by the continued rollout of Amazon’s same-day fresh grocery service. Pickup and delivery each gained 9 percent. For delivery and pickup combined, the mass and supermarket formats each posted 8 percent spending gains compared to last year.
Online share expansion was fueled by higher year-over-year spending rates across all age groups and market sizes, with medium metros posting a significant jump due to growth in delivery. Online share of grocery spending rose for all income levels except the $50,000-$99,900 households, which reported a slight pullback versus last year. The $200,000-plus group, representing about 16 percent of U.S. households, has nearly doubled its online spending since December 2023.
Barrington, Illinois-based Brick Meets Click is an analytics and strategic insight firm that helps clients develop strategies and customer offers in the changing U.S. grocery market.
[Related: Total Online Grocery Sales Reach $11.6B In October]