Most Americans (75%) travel 15 minutes or less to access their preferred grocery store. Unsurprisingly, the adults that live in more rural parts of the country must drive further for their groceries, with 15% of rural shoppers traveling over 30 minutes. While in-store shopping is still the most common method for grocery shopping among US adults, the percentage of Americans using grocery delivery continues to rise, with over a third now using this service.
While US grocery shoppers rate the produce section as their favorite, fresh, highly perishable foods, such as fruits and vegetables, make up less than half of weekly grocery purchases for most (82%) US grocery shoppers. There is an unfortunate reality that fresh food costs more, and the recent price increases impact healthy eating. In fact, US adults that report they don’t eat healthy due to cost have increased by 8 pp in the past two years.
The pandemic had a dramatic impact on grocery shopping, with some of the changes lasting. Shopping with others, making impulse purchases, and buying from free-standing displays are a few behaviors that have declined since the pandemic.
Inflation has also had a major impact on shopping behaviors. 64% of US grocery shoppers stick to purchasing items on their shopping lists. In addition to utilizing a list, 75% of US shoppers are engaging in more cost-saving behaviors, such as looking for sale items and buying store brands. A staggering 77% of US adults report not purchasing a grocery item due to increased cost, while a third of consumers anticipate cutting back on spending at the grocery store.
