Barrington, Ill. – March 11, 2025 – The U.S. Online Grocery segment jumped 31% versus last year, ending February 2025 with $10.3 billion in monthly sales, and more than 80 million households placed one or more eGrocery orders during the month, a record high, according to the Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey fielded January 30-31, 2025, and sponsored by Mercatus.
February marked the seventh straight period where monthly sales exceeded $9.5 billion and the ninth consecutive period with positive year-over-year sales growth, starting shortly after deeply discounted offers on annual membership and subscriptions began being promoted.
“We are a little more than a half year into eGrocery’s current growth curve, fueled by aggressive offers to lock in customers for at least 12 months,” said David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click.
“So far, the response from U.S. households reveals a sizable amount of latent demand that has been unlocked by offering discounts designed to help customers save more money on online grocery orders.”
Delivery continued to post extremely strong results for February 2025, growing more than 45% versus a year ago and registering $4.5 billion in sales. A surge in monthly active users (MAUs) was the predominant growth factor, driven mainly by the rapid expansion of users in the 60+ age group and a YOY rebound in penetration with 18 to 29-year-olds.
Strong gains in order frequency and average order values (AOVs) also contributed to this robust performance, enabling Delivery to finish the month with nearly 44% of eGrocery’s total sales.
Pickup reported very strong gains for February 2025, climbing 19% versus last year, to approximately $4.1 billion in sales. Pickup’s MAU base and order frequency rate both grew YOY, but the primary driver of sales growth was a higher AOV; however, Pickup’s AOV, MAU base, and order frequency all increased at slightly slower paces than Delivery’s.
Despite the monthly sales gain, Pickup’s share of total eGrocery sales fell 400 bps versus last year, closing February 2025 with just over 39%.
Ship-to-Home sales jumped nearly 29% versus the prior year as this method posted almost $1.8 billion in sales. Like Delivery, Ship-to-Home’s YOY gains were driven by a surge in MAUs, which may have been fueled partly by the current in-store environment where various categories are merchandised behind locked plexiglass doors to prevent theft.
While Ship-to-Home order frequency and AOV also climbed versus last year, the gains were more muted than those for Delivery. Overall, Ship-to-Home essentially maintained its 17% share position, ceding just 30 bps of share compared to a year ago.
Building on the strong results for each receiving segment, Supermarket and Mass retailers also had a positive February. Both posted year-over-year gains across the three core drivers of top-line sales: MAUs, order frequency, and AOV.
In addition, the Grocery (which includes Supermarkets and Hard Discounters) and Mass formats reported improvements in repeat intent rates related to Delivery and Pickup services with Grocery closing most of its gap with Mass.
In fact, the likelihood of reusing the same Grocery or Mass service again within the next month finished just 7% below the pre-COVID rate in February, setting a new post-COVID high that surpasses the record set in January 2025.
“Regional grocers are converting first-time shoppers into more loyal customers as evidenced by the rising repeat intent rates, but so is Walmart” said Mark Fairhurst, Chief Growth Marketing Officer, Mercatus.
“While deep discounts have driven a lot of trial, making a good first impression is essential to longer-term success. That means providing a more seamless shopping experience by pairing relevant personalized offers, order fulfilment, and sought-after loyalty rewards to encourage customers to shop online again.”
Given eGrocery’s explosive sales growth of 31% compared to overall grocery spending, which rose less than 5% versus February 2024, online’s share of total grocery spending finished at almost 18%, jumping 370 bps versus last year.
For more information about February 2025 results, check out the latest Brick Meets Click eGrocery Dashboard or visit the eGrocery Monthly Sales report page for information about subscribing to the full monthly report.
About this consumer research
The Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopping Survey is an ongoing independent research initiative created and conducted by the team at Brick Meets Click and sponsored by Mercatus.
Brick Meets Click conducted the most recent survey on February 28-29, 2025, with 1,698 adults, 18 years and older, who participated in the household’s grocery shopping, and a similar survey in February 2024 (n=1,755). Results are adjusted based on internet usage among U.S. adults to account for the non-response bias associated with online surveys. Responses are geographically representative of the U.S. and weighted by age to reflect the national population of adults, 18 years and older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The three receiving methods for online grocery orders are defined as follows:
- Delivery includes orders received from a first- or third-party provider like Instacart, Shipt or the retailer’s own employees.
- Pickup includes orders that are received by customers either inside or outside a store or at a designated location/locker.
- Ship-to-Home includes orders that are received via common or contract carriers like FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc.
About Brick Meets Click
Brick Meets Click is an analytics and strategic insight firm that connects today’s grocery business with tomorrow’s needs. Our clear thinking and practical solutions help clients make their strategies and customer offers more compelling and relevant in the changing U.S. grocery market. We bring deep industry expertise and fact-based analysis to the challenge of finding new routes to success.
About Mercatus
Mercatus drives digital transformation for retailers through an extensive suite of connected and contextualized commerce solutions. We enhance shopper engagement, tailor experiences to individual preferences, and cultivate enduring loyalty across retail businesses of every size. Our mission is to enable retailers to captivate customers, boost sales, foster retention, and deepen loyalty in a digital world. With our cutting-edge solutions, retailers can streamline operations, enrich customer experiences, and realize substantial growth. Embark on the digital transformation journey and unleash the full potential of your retail business with Mercatus.
Media Inquiries
David Bishop, Partner, Brick Meets Click
847-722-2732, david.bishop@brickmeetsclick.com
