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Despite falling compared to April and ending a streak of at least $9.5 billion a month, May online grocery sales still grew by nearly $2 billion year over year.

U.S. online grocery sales dipped in May. However, the drop was not as much as expected in the context of seasonal patterns, according to data from the monthly Brick Meets Click and Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.

May online grocery sales fell 12% compared to April. Still, that’s a smaller drop than the 20% month-over-month decline in May 2024 and the 16% seen in May 2023. Additionally, sales grew nearly $2 billion compared with May 2024. The companies attributed the mitigated month-over-month decline to growth in the Delivery shipping method.

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’s high growth rate for May is an outlier and reflects the cumulative impact of wave after wave of promotional activity that began fueling stronger sales for the service method in June 2024,” said David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click, in a statement. “While these promotions generally appeal to existing customers, Walmart’s effort is also helping the retailer to attract new customers. But, either way, it’s helping to grow Delivery’s user base, order frequency, and AOV.”

Online grocery sales in May

May ended a nine-month streak in which U.S. online grocery sales had reached at least $9.5 billion. But May online grocery sales still reached $8.7 billion, growing 27% compared to $6.8 billion a year earlier.

The overall number of monthly active users (MAUs) grew more than 10% year over year in May. But the expansion was not evenly distributed, the companies said. The Delivery method’s MAU base grew at three times that rate compared to the same month last year, and Walmart‘s MAU base among all three methods combined grew 1.5 times faster than the overall rate, according to the companies.

Walmart is the second-largest online retailer in North America, according to Digital Commerce 360 data. And in April, Walmart announced that it’s expanding delivery to 12 million more U.S. households through technology updates.

Delivery sales grew more than 70%, to $3.9 billion in May 2025 versus $2.2 billion in May 2024. Meanwhile, Ship-to-Home grew 20.7% year over year in May and Pickup sales dropped 3.6%.

Total US Online Grocery Sales May 2025 BMC

Brick Meets Click attributed Delivery’s jump to increases in MAUs, order frequency and average order values (AOVs) compared to May 2024. The receiving method accounted for 45.4% of the month’s online grocery sales, according to the companies’ data.

“The ability to buy products from pure-plays at prices on par with physical stores and enjoy free shipping from an expanding range of providers is likely one factor triggering higher demand,” the companies said about Ship-to-Home’s growth in the month.

At the same time, Pickup sales declined despite growth in its MAU base. Brick Meets Click said that growth did not offset a falling order frequency and slightly lower AOV.

The weighted average of AOVs based on sales across all three methods had grown nearly 4% year over year, Brick Meets Click and Mercatus said.

Overall, the month’s sales indicate a quick shift in shopper demand for Deliver over the past year, according to Mark Fairhurst, chief growth marketing officer at Mercatus.

“While collaborating with delivery platforms is often essential for grocers, the key is to ensure that these partnerships strengthen — not weaken — their connection with the customer,” Fairhurst said in a statement. “Regionals that control the digital experience, leverage Pickup’s first-party strengths, and build trust through personalized experiences will be best positioned to retain loyalty and share as the market evolves.”

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

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