A new Consumer Digest report from 84.51°, the retail data science arm of Kroger, examines how omnichannel shoppers move between an array of options to fulfill their grocery orders.
The report finds that there have never been more ways to buy groceries. Modern shopping habits mean consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies must plan around blended online and in-store purchasing, pickup and delivery options and mixed-channel discovery.
Online grows, but in-store still dominates
While 90 percent of shoppers are shopping online as much or more than last year, 74 percent of trips still happen in-store. Digital plays a growing role in planning and research, but most purchases are still finalized in the aisle.
The takeaway for brands is that digital touchpoints can help drive physical trips. Brands that show up in key planning moments while shoppers browse online earn a spot on the list and in the basket.
Measuring media performance across a fragmented journey can be challenging. Because discovery often happens online and conversion happens in-store, optimizing investment relies on tying media spend to retail outcomes at the shelf.
Channel choice is mission-driven
More than half of shoppers – 55 percent – choose online options for larger stock-up trips, while fill-in and urgent needs skew heavily toward in-store at 70 percent to 79 percent.
For larger routine purchases, shoppers look to delivery and pickup options for convenience. The planned trips allow time to compare options and respond to digital offers.
Consumer responses show that fill-in and urgent trips are primarily in-store experiences, with shoppers entering the store to solve an immediate need. In those moments, brand choice is often decided at the shelf, where visibility, availability and relevance have an outsized impact.
The report advises brands to become part of routine stock-up trips with onsite basket-building activations. Relevant add-on offers, bulk discounts and messaging tied to stock-ups encourage regular purchases. Winning in-store starts upstream – digital awareness and consideration carry through to the shelf, when shoppers make faster decisions about what goes in the cart.
Loyalty varies across channels
Nearly one in three shoppers “sometimes” or “always” buy different brands in-store and online, according to the report.
Brand preferences can shift depending on context, channel and mission. What feels like loyalty in one environment doesn’t always carry over to another.
Shoppers who aren’t anchored to the same brand across channels are actively making decisions based on convenience, value and relevance in the moment. For brands, that creates opportunity. Consistent presence across digital and physical touchpoints can influence choice earlier in the journey and increase the likelihood of conversion, regardless of where the final purchase happens.
The report recommends winning brand-flexible omnichannel shoppers by showing up consistently with offers and messaging tied to real purchase habits. Onsite media and targeted incentives can influence brand choice earlier in the journey and support conversion both online and at the shelf.
Connected path to purchase
Different touchpoints, delivery and pickup options, and in-store shopping each play a role in the omnichannel journey. Digital planning is more popular than ever, but conversion largely happens at the physical shelf.
Understanding how these behaviors intersect helps brands activate more effectively across the full path to purchase.
About the company
84.51° is a retail data science, insights and media company. The company helps The Kroger Co.’s CPG companies, agencies, publishers and affiliated partners create more personalized and valuable experiences for shoppers across the path to purchase.
84.51° leverages first-party retail data from nearly one of two U.S. households and 2 billion transactions through advanced sciences to fuel a more customer-centric journey, utilizing 84.51° Insights, 84.51° Loyalty Marketing and Kroger Precision Marketing.
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