New Acosta Report Finds Grocery Delivery and Non-Traditional Grocery Channels Gaining Popularity Among Urban Grocery Shoppers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With residents of the top 50 most populous cities comprising nearly 16 percent of the total U.S. population and city growth rates consistently topping those of suburban and rural areas, urban grocery shoppers are becoming an increasingly influential demographic.

Research released today in The Urban Grocery Shopper, the latest Hot Topic report from Acosta — a leading full-service sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods industry — provides insights into the grocery shopping world of city dwellers, which varies significantly from that of suburbanites and those living in rural areas.

"For urban grocery shoppers, crowded stores are the norm so convenience is a major priority," said Colin Stewart, Senior Vice President, Business Intelligence at Acosta. "City dwellers are more likely than suburban and rural shoppers to have groceries delivered, buy groceries at small neighborhood stores, pop into stores for pre-made offerings and dine out rather than make meals at home."

Acosta's The Urban Grocery Shopper includes a comprehensive breakdown of the habits and preferences of urban shoppers, such as:

Grocery delivery is vital

• Urban shoppers were 90 percent more likely than the average shopper to rank online ordering capabilities within the top three most important attributes for their grocery shopping experience.
• Nearly 60 percent of urban shoppers reported buying groceries online for mail delivery or door-to-door delivery, compared to less than 30 percent of suburban and rural shoppers. One in four urban shoppers reported ordering groceries online at least once a week.
• Fifty-six percent of urban shoppers reported using online retailers to buy bulky items, like paper towels and diapers, compared to 34 percent of suburban shoppers and 24 percent of rural shoppers.

Unique purchasing behaviors

• Urban shoppers have less reliance on traditional grocery channels for key product groups.
• The majority of urban shoppers reported buying health and beauty, as well as paper products, somewhere other than mass merchandisers and traditional grocery stores.
• Urban shoppers were nearly two times more likely than suburban shoppers to buy condiments and frozen foods somewhere besides mass merchandisers and traditional grocery stores.
• Urban shoppers utilize grocery stores' perimeter offerings much more than suburban and rural shoppers, with 56 percent reporting they made a trip to the store specifically for prepared foods in the past six months.

Brick-and-mortar store shopping routines and challenges

• Compared to 34 percent of suburban shoppers and 20 percent of rural shoppers, 58 percent of urban shoppers reported they often stop for groceries on their way home from work or school to buy only what they need for that night or the next day.
• Fifty-seven percent of urban shoppers were more likely than the average shopper to rank easy-to-shop stores within their top three most important attributes for their grocery shopping experience.
• Compared to 51 percent of suburban shoppers and 44 percent of rural shoppers, 64 percent of urban shoppers reported feeling grocery stores were usually crowded and time spent at checkout was too long.

Acosta's The Urban Grocery Shopper was compiled using its U.S. Urban Shopper Survey, March 2019. To access the full report, click here.

About Acosta
Acosta is the sales and marketing powerhouse behind most of the trusted brands seen in stores every day. The company provides a range of outsourced sales, marketing and retail merchandising services throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. For 90 years, Acosta has led the industry in helping consumer packaged goods companies move products off shelves and into shoppers' baskets. For more information, please visit www.acosta.com.

SOURCE Acosta

Related Links

http://www.acosta.com

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED