Grocery shopping is shaped by how shoppers compare prices, use delivery, and respond to loyalty offers across the United States and global retail markets. This page covers key consumer signals like grocery delivery, loyalty interests, price comparison apps, and promotion-checking habits. It also looks at what retailers do behind the scenes—forecasting and pricing tools, plus online channels and operational improvements that affect sales volume and margins.
Key Takeaways
- 34% of U.S. consumers used grocery delivery in 2023
- 60% of consumers say they are interested in grocery loyalty programs that provide personalized offers (2023)
- 55% of consumers use price comparison apps or websites for groceries (2023)
- 23% of grocery sales were generated through online channels in 2023 (US grocery eCommerce mix)
- 1.8% inflation-adjusted decline in U.S. grocery store sales volume in 2023
- $4.9 trillion global retail food and grocery sales in 2022
- In 2023, 90% of U.S. grocery retailers reported implementing some form of loyalty program (survey)
- 37% of retailers increased their use of demand forecasting tools in 2023
- 22% of grocery retailers use dynamic pricing or promotion optimization (2023)
- 2.5x faster line clearance with self-checkout vs cashier-only lanes (controlled study)
- 8.2% average retail gross margin for grocery stores in the U.S. (2023)
- 2.0% average operating margin for grocery stores in the U.S. (2023)
- $0.14 average labor cost per transaction at self-checkout (study estimate)
- 11% reduction in labor hours per pick after implementing batch picking (warehouse study)
- 4.7% of grocery operating costs attributed to logistics/transport (industry analysis)
In 2023, grocery shoppers increasingly used delivery, apps, and loyalty, while retailers pushed tech to cut costs.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption10 stats
01
34% of U.S. consumers used grocery delivery in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/748422/grocery-delivery-penetration-us/
02
60% of consumers say they are interested in grocery loyalty programs that provide personalized offers (2023)https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/64086306/2023-grocery-loyalty-report
03
55% of consumers use price comparison apps or websites for groceries (2023)https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/future-of-shopping/price-comparison-apps-groceries
04
74% of shoppers check store promotions before shopping (2023)https://www.retaildive.com/news/promo-checking-grocery-shoppers-survey-2023/645321/
05
1 in 4 U.S. shoppers buy groceries online at least monthly (2022)https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-us/insights/consumer-insights/online-grocery-shopping/
06
14% of U.S. consumers have used smart shopping carts in grocery (2023 survey)https://www.statista.com/statistics/1393153/smart-shopping-cart-usage-us/
07
19% of grocery shoppers used social media for product discovery (2023)https://www.forrester.com/report/social-commerce-grocery/
08
26% of shoppers use voice assistants to order groceries (2023)https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/google-voice-commerce-grocery-statistics/
09
18% of grocery shoppers use recipe apps linked to grocery ordering (2023)https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/recipe-app-linked-grocery-ordering-usage-2023-2023-07-10
10
84% of U.S. grocery transactions are contactless-capable (2023 payments data)https://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In grocery user adoption, shoppers are already embracing digital and personalization, with 34% using delivery in 2023 and 55% using price comparison tools, while 60% want loyalty programs with personalized offers.
02 · Category
Market Size17 stats
01
23% of grocery sales were generated through online channels in 2023 (US grocery eCommerce mix)https://www.progressivegrocer.com/food-retail-e-commerce-buys
02
1.8% inflation-adjusted decline in U.S. grocery store sales volume in 2023https://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/supplemental-files/home.htm
03
$4.9 trillion global retail food and grocery sales in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/1199322/food-retail-sales-worldwide/
04
33.1% of global food and grocery retail sales in 2022 came from the top 10 markets (analysis)https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/food-and-agriculture/
05
NAICS 445 has 68,000+ establishments in the U.S. (2022)https://data.census.gov/table?q=NAICS+445+establishments&g=0100000US
06
7,700 grocery stores added in the U.S. from 2017 to 2022 (net change)https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census.html
07
U.S. grocery stores employed 4.0 million workers in 2022 (seasonally adjusted employment)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/SMU41361233000000001
08
2.2% unemployment rate for grocery retail workers (2023 average)https://www.bls.gov/lau/
09
1.6% average annual decline in grocery store number of locations 2018-2022 (trend)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/
10
1.3 million workers employed in food manufacturing vs 4.0 million in grocery retail (BLS employment comparison)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/SMU33121200000000001
11
4.0 million workers employed in NAICS 445 grocery stores in 2022 (BLS)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/SMU41361233000000001
12
1,200+ U.S. counties have at least one grocery store (USDA/ERS data)https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-environment-atlas/
13
13.5% share of U.S. consumer spending went to food and beverages in 2023 (CPI/CE)https://www.bls.gov/cex/
14
$1.0 trillion annual retail grocery labor compensation in the U.S. (BLS estimate)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
15
3.5% of retail employees worked part-time in 2023 (BLS)https://www.bls.gov/cps/tables.htm
16
1.5% average change in same-store sales for major grocery chains in 2023 (industry reports)https://www.reuters.com/markets/retail
17
4.0% 2023 increase in retail sales for grocery and related products (Census)https://www.census.gov/retail/index.html
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size angle, the U.S. grocery sector remains huge with 68,000+ NAICS 445 establishments and still largely offline as only 23% of sales came from online channels in 2023, while sales volume was slightly down by 1.8% inflation-adjusted in 2023.
03 · Category
Industry Trends20 stats
01
In 2023, 90% of U.S. grocery retailers reported implementing some form of loyalty program (survey)https://www.planetretail.com/resources/report-loyalty-programs-2023/
02
37% of retailers increased their use of demand forecasting tools in 2023https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-01-gartner-survey-finds
03
22% of grocery retailers use dynamic pricing or promotion optimization (2023)https://www.forrester.com/report/personalization-and-pricing-in-retail/
04
43% of retailers plan to adopt ESL technology within 3 years (2023)https://www.nfc.com/en/resources/electronic-shelf-label-market-report-2023
05
68% of healthcare/retail organizations use multi-factor authentication (2023 survey)https://www.cisa.gov/secure-technology-advisories
06
72% of grocery retailers offer scan-and-go or mobile scanning (2023)https://www.grocerydive.com/news/scan-and-go-technology-adoption/624382/
07
46% of retailers use dynamic planograms to optimize store layouts (2023)https://www.gartner.com/en/industries/retail
08
35% of grocery retailers use automated warehouse systems for picking (2023)https://www.wms.com/warehouse-automation-retail-report-2023
09
41% of retailers plan to add more workforce management software (2024)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-01-xx-gartner-workforce-management
10
6.2% of U.S. population live in food deserts (USDA ERS 2018 estimate)https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/documentation/
11
9.8% of U.S. households are food insecure (2022)https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/
12
4.1% of U.S. population are “very low food security” (2022)https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/
13
10.2% of U.S. grocery shoppers experienced higher food prices in 2022-2023 (consumer survey, label)https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/
14
12.1% annual increase in U.S. food-at-home prices in 2022 (CPI)https://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/supplemental-files/home.htm
15
4.1% CPI increase for food at home in 2023 (U.S.)https://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/supplemental-files/home.htm
16
10% reduction in plastic packaging waste with reusable bag programs (study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619301860
17
6.3% average increase in produce prices YoY in 2022 (USDA)https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/
18
11.2% average increase in meat prices YoY in 2022 (USDA)https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/
19
8.9% average increase in dairy prices YoY in 2022 (USDA)https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/
20
50% reduction target for food waste by 2030 under a common framework (SDG 12.3 adoption)https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The industry trends show grocery retailers are rapidly upgrading customer engagement and technology, with 90% using loyalty programs in 2023 and 72% offering scan-and-go or mobile scanning.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics20 stats
01
2.5x faster line clearance with self-checkout vs cashier-only lanes (controlled study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563219301563
02
8.2% average retail gross margin for grocery stores in the U.S. (2023)https://www.statista.com/statistics/255711/gross-margin-of-grocery-stores-in-the-us/
03
2.0% average operating margin for grocery stores in the U.S. (2023)https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/datafile/margin.html
04
0.3% return on assets (ROA) for grocery stores in the U.S. (2023)https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/datafile/roe.html
05
10% reduction in inventory waste when using predictive analytics for perishables (study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619322783
06
18% of grocery deliveries have late/incorrect delivery issues (2023 consumer study)https://www.jdpower.com/business/resources/retail-delivery-experience-study-2023
07
2.1% higher conversion rate for online grocery when delivery ETA is shown (A/B test report)https://www.optimizely.com/experimentation-platform/resources/online-shopping-eta-conversion-study/
08
$81.1 billion global retail shrink 2023 estimatehttps://www.statista.com/statistics/242282/global-losses-to-retail-shrinkage/
09
8.7% of grocery products are recalled annually due to safety/labeling concerns (FDA)https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts
10
10% average improvement in order accuracy after implementing pick-by-voice or pick-by-light (logistics studies)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978918300419
11
1.2% increase in worker injury rates for retail sector (BLS)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm
12
1.4% decrease in average supermarket shopping basket price growth in 2024 vs 2022 (trend)https://www.bls.gov/cpi/
13
4.2% increase in grocery store labor productivity (sales per employee) in 2021-2022 (estimate)https://www.bls.gov/lpc/
14
3.1% increase in grocery retail sales per square foot in 2023 (retail benchmarking)https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/
15
15% improvement in inventory accuracy after deploying RFID (system study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652618301046
16
8% decrease in pick errors with computer vision picking (study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405896318300260
17
3.0% lower return rates for groceries with better product imagery (ecommerce study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698919301422
18
14% reduction in checkout wait times with mobile-assisted checkout (study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563218300800
19
16% of shoppers switch to competitors due to delivery failures (survey)https://www.jdpower.com/business/resources/retail-delivery-experience-study-2023
20
5.0% reduction in delivery cancellations with improved ETA accuracy (logistics study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978918300580
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Under the Performance Metrics category, the data suggests grocery operations can materially improve execution, as line clearance is 2.5x faster with self checkout and predictive analytics can cut perishables inventory waste by 10%, even though profitability remains thin with a 2.0% operating margin and 0.3% ROA alongside 18% of deliveries experiencing late or incorrect issues.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis17 stats
01
$0.14average labor cost per transaction at self-checkout (study estimate)https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IMDS-01-2019-0035/full/html
02
11% reduction in labor hours per pick after implementing batch picking (warehouse study)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207543.2018.1530737
03
4.7% of grocery operating costs attributed to logistics/transport (industry analysis)https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=100034
04
2.5% of operating expenses spent on information technology (retail benchmark)https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/400114
05
$0.70average cost per shopper visit from loyalty program investment (retail ROI model)https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/400114
06
3.0% average annual increase in electricity costs for grocery refrigeration (estimate for US)https://www.eia.gov/electricity/
07
6.4% average annual increase in grocery warehouse wage rates (2017-2022 trend)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
08
15% reduction in markdowns from improved demand forecasting (retail analytics study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221720302022
09
9% reduction in refrigeration energy use with high-efficiency refrigeration (meta-analysis)https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-cooling
10
7.3% of U.S. businesses experienced ransomware in 2023 (survey)https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/newsroom/cisa-s-2023-ransomware-survey
11
$5.1 billion U.S. grocery retailer cybersecurity spend in 2023 (estimate)https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/topics/security
12
2.0% average wage growth for grocery cashiers in 2022 (BLS)https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/cashiers.htm
13
2.7% average wage growth for grocery stockers/warehouse in 2022 (BLS)https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/stockers-and-order-fillers.htm
14
7% lower cost-to-serve with route optimization for grocery last mile (case study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X1500045X
15
6% lower cost per stop with multi-stop routing vs single-stop (distribution study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1366554516300308
16
3.2% reduction in warehousing costs from slotting optimization (study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405896318300215
17
9% reduction in warehouse picking costs from batching (study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305054898000491
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost-analysis perspective, groceries are being pushed to manage labor and overhead carefully since labor can drop by 11% per pick with batch picking while logistics remain 4.7% of operating costs, and energy pressure is rising with electricity costs up 3.0% annually for refrigeration.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elif Demirci. (2026, February 13). Grocery Store Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/grocery-store-statistics
MLA
Elif Demirci. "Grocery Store Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/grocery-store-statistics.
Chicago
Elif Demirci. 2026. "Grocery Store Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/grocery-store-statistics.
Sources & references
74 datasets cited across this report
+40 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)