Ocado, the UK grocery concern that has struck deals with grocers around the world to use its robotic fulfillment center technology, is being sued by AutoStore for intellectual property theft – with AutoStore in turn being investigated by Ocado for patent infringement. AutoStore filed the lawsuits in London and New York.
While total e-grocery sales in the U.S. declined 20% in August vs. June to $5.2 billion, other factors indicate strength in the sector, such as growth in average order value and repeat usage intent, according to a survey by Mercatus and Brick Meets Click. AOV reached a high of $95, the survey found, 32% higher than a year ago.
As e-grocery adoption continues to grow, with 60% saying they had bought online in the past month, up from 52% in March, Walmart has surpassed Amazon as the most-shopped online grocer, according to weekly data published by Coresight Research. There was also a dip in those reporting avoidance of public places and malls.
E-grocery sales continued to spike upward in June, increasing 9% over May to $7.2 billion as pandemic-fueled consumer behavior followed a hockey stick pattern, according to a survey conducted by Brick Meets Click on behalf of Mercatus. 45.6 million households placed e-grocery orders in June, up from 43 million in May.
With states reopening for business, experts wonder how grocers will continue to adapt, and how ingrained online buying patterns will be. Jon Hauptmann, Senior Director of Retail Pricing and Analytics Solutions at Inmar Intelligence, discusses Inmar’s recent survey findings and what’s next in this MCM CommerceChat podcast.
A handful of grocery retailers have flipped some locations into so-called dark stores to handle the crush of online orders, but it remains to be seen how widespread the practice will become or how much the trend will stick after the coronavirus threat dies down. Retailers include Amazon/Whole Foods, Kroger, Giant Eagle and Stop & Shop.
Many more consumers are changing their buying habits in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, with 28% of e-grocery shoppers placing their first-ever order during March, according to a study from CPG research firm Acosta. And nearly two-thirds of U.S. consumers reported changing their shopping habits by the end of March.
Many ecommerce companies are trying to stay open while keeping their employees and customers safe through the coronavirus pandemic. Others have temporarily shut down and are thinking about how and when they can reopen. Here are some things to keep in mind based on our consulting work with retail and wholesale companies.
What will the world of ecommerce operations and fulfillment look like after World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 pandemic ends? The answer, like predictions of that date, is uncertain. But industry experts firmly believe that the seismic shifts that began in February 2020 will create a new normal in ecommerce operations.
The world is a different place than it was just a month ago. As companies try to maintain their business and stay afloat, many are wondering about the long-term impact of coronavirus on the retail and ecommerce industry. Here are some ways the dynamics of retail and services may be impacted in near term and in the years to come.