U.S. online grocery sales grew by $1.5 billion year over year in November 2024, according to new data from the monthly Brick Meets Click and Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.

Although that result set a new November online grocery sales record, it’s neither the highest month for such sales this year nor the highest year-over-year growth. September online grocery sales had grown $2 billion year over year, and October marked the first time they surpassed $10 billion.

Meanwhile, Black Friday ecommerce sales alone — across categories — reached $10.8 billion this year, Digital Commerce 360 previously reported.

Brick Meets Click and Mercatus define the three receiving methods for online grocery sales as:

• Delivery: Includes orders received from a first- or third-party provider like Instacart, Shipt or the retailer’s own employees.
• Pickup: Includes orders 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.

“Supermarkets experienced a significant surge in their MAU base, benefiting from widespread and deep discounts on membership and subscription programs offered by both national and regional grocers throughout November,” said David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click, in a statement. “And, while that’s a positive sign for Supermarkets, the race to retain customers and grow share-of-wallet with them is only intensifying among rivals.”

November online grocery sales

U.S. online grocery sales in November across the three fulfillment methods totaled $9.6 billion. Despite the high year-over-year growth, that’s about $900 million less than the month before.

Pickup and delivery orders generated the same amount of sales this month after the latter overtook the former for the first time in October. Moreover, delivery sales set a record high among all three segments in October at $4.8 billion.

Brick Meets Click and Mercatus attributed the year-over-year online grocery sales growth to an increase in monthly active users (MAUs). Order frequency rates “inched up” while overall spending per order remained flat year over year, they said.

Although it didn’t translate to record sales like in October, a new record of 77.8 million households bought groceries online in November, according to Brick Meets Click and Mercatus.

In November 2024, 77.8 million households bought groceries online, they said. That breaks a record set in the first full month of the COVID-19 pandemic, in April 2020 (76.7 million). Furthermore, in November, 72% of all MAUs used just one fulfillment method.

“Customer satisfaction with eGrocery services climbed in November as the overall repeat intent rate reached 65.2%, the highest score in the last four years and the third highest since the onset of COVID in March 2020,” Brick Meets Click and Mercatus said.

Online grocery sales breakdown by fulfillment method

Online grocery sales from all three fulfillment methods grew in November. Delivery sales grew the most — 22% year over year — to $3.2 billion from $3.6 billion in the same month of 2023.

Pickup sales grew 8% year over year, tying Delivery at $3.9 billion. That’s up from $3.6 billion in November 2023 pickup sales. Meanwhile, Ship-to-Home sales — the smallest segment by total sales — grew sales to $1.7 billion. That’s 30% growth over $1.3 billion the prior year.

“Driving larger orders and fostering repeat purchases requires creating a more personalized and seamless online grocery shopping experience,” said Mark Fairhurst, chief growth officer at Mercatus, in a statement. “By offering tailored product recommendations based on customer preferences and lifestyles, alongside easy-to-use rewards programs and intuitive navigation, grocers can strengthen customer loyalty, build trust, and sustain long-term growth in the online grocery space.”

Impact of the Kroger-Albertsons merger on online grocery sales

A proposed merger between grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons might be off the table after a federal judge issued an injunction in December 2024. The merger had gone through two years of regulatory and judicial processes.

Kroger ranks No. 6 in Digital Commerce 360’s Top 1000 Database of North America’s largest online retailers by annual ecommerce sales. Albertsons is No. 19. Both fall under the Food & Beverage category of the Top 1000.

Digital Commerce 360 projects that the combined web sales for Kroger and Albertsons in 2024 will reach $24.06 billion. That’s nearly as much as the proposed Albertsons acquisition would have cost Kroger.

Albertsons operates over 2200 supermarkets in 34 states and the District of Columbia.  In addition to Albertsons, some of their brands include, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs and Kings Food Market.

Meanwhile, Kroger operates 2,750 grocery retail stores under various banner names, including Ralph’s, Dillon’s, QFC and others.

Click here to read last month’s update on online grocery sales.

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