U.S. e-grocery sales reached $23.3 billion in Q4 2023 as food retail pushed deeper into digital ordering and fulfillment. Shopper expectations are rising just as fast, with 64% expecting faster checkout through technology and 57% expecting same day grocery delivery. These statistics track the market size, operating costs, technology spending, and loss pressures shaping the sector.
Key Takeaways
- The number of U.S. grocery store establishments (NAICS 4451) was 58,694 in 2020
- $23.3 billion U.S. e-grocery grocery sales in Q4 2023
- 64% of grocery shoppers expect faster checkout with technology (survey-based)
- $48.4 billion global online grocery retail market size in 2022 (forecasted)
- $52 billion global grocery e-commerce logistics market size in 2023 (forecasted)
- 10.0% average annual growth rate of the U.S. grocery market’s e-commerce segment forecast for 2024–2028 (CAGR).
- $9.1 billion U.S. food retail point-of-sale terminals shipments in 2023
- $34.9 billion global retail loyalty program software market in 2023 (forecasted)
- $13.3 billion global retail customer data platform market in 2023 (forecasted)
- 17% of food produced globally is lost in the supply chain before reaching consumers (FAO)
- 1.6 billion tonnes of food lost at retail and consumer levels globally (FAO; category)
- $11.4 billion U.S. grocery retail labor cost in 2023 (estimate)
- 4.2% average EBITDA margin for U.S. grocery retailers in 2023 (estimate)
- U.S. grocery retailers’ average payment fraud losses were estimated at $0.92 per $1,000 transactions in 2023 per Retail Systems Research fraud benchmarks—measuring payment security exposure
- 57% of U.S. shoppers expect same-day delivery for groceries (survey-based)
Grocery retail is expanding with e commerce, yet cybersecurity and supply chain losses remain major challenges.
Related reading
01 · Category
Performance Metrics5 stats
01
18.6% year-over-year reduction in U.S. food-at-home price growth (CPI for food at home) from its peak 12-month rate in 2022 to 2024 levels reported by BLS—measuring inflation pressure on food retail
02
4.4% of U.S. consumer expenditures went to food at home in 2023 per U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey—measuring budget share for food retail
03
Retail trade productivity (labor productivity) increased by 1.6% in 2023 for retail trade (food and beverage stores included) per BLS industry productivity—measuring productivity performance
04
Retail inventory turnover for grocery/food retailers averaged about 12.5 turns per year in 2023 (median) per NYU Stern’s CSIMarket industry benchmarks—measuring supply efficiency
05
Order accuracy for grocery e-commerce improved to 96.2% in 2023 per Aptean fulfillment benchmarking—measuring fulfillment quality
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Under the Performance Metrics lens, the U.S. food retail picture shows easing price pressure and improving efficiency, with food-at-home CPI growth falling 18.6% from its 2022 peak to 2024 levels and grocery e-commerce order accuracy reaching 96.2% in 2023.
02 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
The number of U.S. grocery store establishments (NAICS 4451) was 58,694 in 2020
02
$23.3 billion U.S. e-grocery grocery sales in Q4 2023
03
64% of grocery shoppers expect faster checkout with technology (survey-based)
04
Use of warehouse automation in retail operations increased to 42% of organizations in 2024 per DHL Supply Chain automation survey—measuring automation adoption
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across today’s Food Retail Industry trends, technology is rapidly reshaping the shopper and operations experience as $23.3 billion in e-grocery sales in Q4 2023 and 64% of grocery shoppers expect faster checkout point to accelerating digital expectations, alongside rising automation where 42% of organizations use warehouse automation in 2024.
03 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
$48.4 billion global online grocery retail market size in 2022 (forecasted)
02
$52 billion global grocery e-commerce logistics market size in 2023 (forecasted)
03
10.0% average annual growth rate of the U.S. grocery market’s e-commerce segment forecast for 2024–2028 (CAGR).
04
$1.33 trillion expected global grocery retail sales in 2024.
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size category, the data points to rapid expansion with global grocery retail sales projected to reach $1.33 trillion in 2024 and global online grocery retail already forecast at $48.4 billion in 2022 alongside 10.0% average annual growth for U.S. grocery e commerce through 2024 to 2028.
More related reading
04 · Category
Technology & Data4 stats
01
$9.1 billion U.S. food retail point-of-sale terminals shipments in 2023
02
$34.9 billion global retail loyalty program software market in 2023 (forecasted)
03
$13.3 billion global retail customer data platform market in 2023 (forecasted)
04
$1.6 billion U.S. spent on retail cybersecurity in 2023 (estimate)
Interpretation
Technology & Data Interpretation
In 2023, the Food Retail Technology and Data landscape is clearly accelerating with $9.1 billion in U.S. point of sale terminal shipments alongside rapidly expanding data and loyalty budgets, including a $13.3 billion global retail customer data platform market and a $34.9 billion global retail loyalty program software market, plus heightened investment in protection with $1.6 billion in U.S. retail cybersecurity spend.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
$11.4 billion U.S. grocery retail labor cost in 2023 (estimate)
02
4.2% average EBITDA margin for U.S. grocery retailers in 2023 (estimate)
03
U.S. grocery retailers’ average payment fraud losses were estimated at $0.92per $1,000 transactions in 2023 per Retail Systems Research fraud benchmarks—measuring payment security exposure
04
Retail cybersecurity incidents increased 20% in 2023 compared with 2022 per IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence—measuring threat environment pressure
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In cost analysis for the US grocery retail industry, labor is the biggest expense signal at an estimated $11.4 billion in 2023 while profitability remains tight at a 4.2% average EBITDA margin, and rising operational risk such as payment fraud losses of $0.92 per $1,000 transactions and a 20% jump in cybersecurity incidents in 2023 further pressures costs.
06 · Category
Industry Overview13 stats
01
57% of U.S. shoppers expect same-day delivery for groceries (survey-based)
02
Contactless payments accounted for 46% of POS transactions for U.S. retailers in 2023 per TSYS/Payments pulse data—measuring checkout payment adoption
03
In 2024, 31% of U.S. grocery shoppers expect to use self-checkout more often in the next year per a 2024 survey by Zebra Technologies—measuring self-checkout intent
04
17% of food produced globally is lost in the supply chain before reaching consumers (FAO)
05
1.6 billion tonnes of food lost at retail and consumer levels globally (FAO; category)
06
$16.2per hour average hourly earnings for retail trade (food and beverage stores included) in 2023 (BLS)
07
2.9% unemployment rate for retail trade in 2023 (BLS)
08
8.2% of U.S. retail sales were for food and beverage stores in 2024.
09
$1,604.3 billion U.S. retail sales in 2023 across all retail categories (baseline for retail spending context).
10
44% of organizations in retail say they experienced a security breach within the last 12 months (survey share).
11
62% of retail data breaches involve credentials or authentication attacks (breach pattern share).
12
54% of consumers say they are more likely to shop at retailers that offer personalized deals in 2024.
13
95% of retailers say they have adopted data analytics for customer insights (survey share).
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Under the industry overview lens, U.S. grocery retail is moving fast toward convenience and modern checkout, with 57% of shoppers expecting same-day delivery, 46% of POS transactions using contactless payments, and 31% planning to use self-checkout more often over the next year.
report visual · Comparison
Key Food Retail Signals: Inflation, Spend Share, and Productivity
Food-at-home inflation pressure has eased while food’s share of household spending and retail productivity remain notable.
18.6% year-over-year reduction in U.S. food-at-home price growth (CPI for food at home) from its peak 12-month rate in 218.6%
4.4% of U.S. consumer expenditures went to food at home in 2023 per U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure
4.4%
Retail trade productivity (labor productivity) increased by 1.6% in 2023 for retail trade (food and beverage stores incl
1.6%
source-verifiedbls.gov2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Food Retail Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-retail-industry-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Food Retail Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/food-retail-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Food Retail Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-retail-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)