Amcor’s research surveyed 1,000 online grocery shoppers in France, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, to study their buying preferences and understand wider ecommerce trends in Europe.
In Europe, the online grocery market is expected to grow by 66% by 2023 while Nielsen forecasts 70% of consumers globally will do their grocery shopping online by 2024.
Amcor said its research showed dairy is the most popular fresh food category for online purchases, with 65% of shoppers buying cheese online, and 61% buying yogurt and chilled desserts. After dairy, fruit and vegetables are some of the most common items to buy online (54%), and the most popular option for food subscriptions. But this only applies to whole produce.
The survey showed UK consumers show much stronger willingness to buy fresh food online, as most (69%) buy the same amount of food, or more, online than in store – compared to only 30% of Europeans in other countries. The top reason shoppers gave for buying more online was convenience. They perceived a time saving, as well as noting the ease of delivery versus having to carry groceries home.
Amcor added the research also revealed why consumers in other European nations may not be embracing online purchases of fresh food to the same degree as the UK. This is largely because of concerns about freshness – 61% of European shoppers prefer to see and test fresh produce before buying it.
Specifically, 78% of French shoppers want to physically check the quality of fresh produce before they buy while 77% of Germans prefer to buy produce from stores daily to avoid food waste.
Food subscriptions are also becoming increasing in popularity across Europe. Dutch shoppers lead the trend, saying they subscribe to fruit and vegetables deliveries (36%), coffee deliveries (36%) and snack subscriptions (34%). Across the rest of Europe, 26% of respondents in the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands say they have used a meal kit subscription.
The biggest packaging consideration for consumers is sustainability, which is the primary packaging requirement for 65% of consumers.
Recyclable packaging was the primary sustainability attribute online shoppers look for. Amcor’s research showed more than a third of online consumers believe packaging recyclability to be very important to them. Furthermore, 13% of online shoppers cited a lack of packaging information available online, highlighting an opportunity for e-retailers to add sustainability information.
Chris Fesen, marketing director, food, at Amcor, said, “Ecommerce purchases for fresh food are increasing, and food producers can adapt to take advantage of this emerging market. However, many consumers are still concerned by freshness and food waste – in a brick-and-mortar store, shoppers can visibly check the freshness of produce, meat and dairy but this is more difficult with home delivery. Brands should opt for packaging that keeps food safe and fresh in transit and displays this freshness to re-assure customers.
“To meet sustainability goals, it’s vital for fresh food brands to balance the use of more sustainable, recyclable materials, with packaging that continues to extend shelf life and avoid food waste.”
Further results from the study and additional insight will feature in the Amcor research report, which is available for download here.