U.S. online grocery sales topped $9.5 billion for the ninth straight month, according to data from the monthly Brick Meets Click and Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.
They credited changing customer preferences as a result of both aggressive promotions and services becoming increasingly available. In addition to online grocery shopping becoming more popular in the U.S. since March 2020, retailers and delivery companies have begun offering more fulfillment options to consumers.
For example, Amazon and Walmart, the country’s largest online retailers, continue to make fulfillment more accessible to U.S. consumers. Amazon, which also owns Whole Foods, has made changes to its fulfillment network — including reducing some of its business with the United Parcel Service (UPS) — so it can both improve its cost structure and its delivery speed.
Walmart is using geospatial technology to expand its delivery network to 12 million more homes as part of a broader investment in ecommerce fulfillment. Meanwhile, DoorDash, Instacart and Uber Eats have each been partnering with retailers to offer U.S. consumers same-day delivery.
“Historically, memberships and subscriptions were considered more effective at building loyalty with regular customers,” said David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click, in a statement. “However, today we see that these programs are also attracting shoppers from rivals as households search for more savings. Regardless, Walmart+ has become a core component of its strategy as approximately two-thirds of the households ordering groceries online from Walmart during April 2025 were Walmart+ members.”
April online grocery sales
U.S. online grocery sales reached $9.8 billion in April 2025, according to Brick Meets Click and Mercatus. That’s 15.2% growth over online grocery sales in April 2024, when they were $8.5 billion.
Since August 2024, U.S. online grocery sales have totaled at least $9.5 billion each month.
Brick Meets Click and Mercatus divide online grocery sales based on three receiving methods:
- 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 consumers receive via common or contract carriers like FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc.
Delivery took the largest share of online grocery sales in April, accounting for $4.2 billion. That’s 29% year-over-year growth over April 2024, when they were $3.3 billion. The segment accounted for about 75% of the sales growth for the month, according to Brick Meets Click.
Ship-to-Home sales also grew, to $1.9 billion from $1.6 billion. That’s a 22.1% year-over-year increase. Meanwhile, Pickup sales were $3.7 billion in April, the only segment to be flat year over year. Brick Meets Click and Mercatus attributed that to “headwinds due to the dramatic rise in demand for Delivery.”
How Mass Merchants factor into online grocery sales
Mass Merchants — or retailers such as Walmart, Target and Costco that sell products across a large variety of categories — led the way when it came to attracting new customers in April, according to Brick Meets Click and Mercatus. In April, their household penetration increased to 50%, from 46% in the same month two years prior. Online grocery order frequency among Mass Merchants also steadily increased over the last two years, Brick Meets Click and Mercatus said.
“This is particularly true for Walmart,” the companies said. “Walmart+ members spent over 40% more than non-Walmart+ members who ordered online from Walmart in April.”
Increased order frequency accounted for most of that gap, they said. However, Walmart+ members also reported higher average order values (AOVs) for their online grocery purchases.
Brick Meets Click and Mercatus added that loyalty remains a beneficial component of membership and subscription programs, as members are more likely to reuse a service again the following month than non-members.
“Discounted memberships have put Delivery in the spotlight, but lasting loyalty forms where speed, control, and value meet,” said Mark Fairhurst, chief growth marketing officer at Mercatus, in a statement. “Regional grocers who combine fast, free Pickup with a compelling subscription program, data-driven rewards, and timely outreach to lapsed shoppers can turn trial orders into repeat business while protecting margins.”
Click here to read last month’s update on online grocery sales.
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