Trendspotting: Online grocery sales reach new high, $12.5 billion
Trendspotting: Online grocery sales reach new high, $12.5 billion
Online grocery sales surged to a new high of $12.5 billion in September 2025, marking a 31 percent increase over the previous year and the second consecutive month a record was set, according to the Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey, sponsored by Mercatus. Driven by a record-setting number of monthly active users, sustained gains in order frequency and solid increases in average order value, online spending for September captured its highest share since very early during the pandemic.
The overall base of eGrocery MAUs hit a new high during September 2025, up nearly 13 percent year-over-year. The vast majority of the increase came from re-engaging less frequent customers who most recently bought groceries online two to three months prior. All three receiving methods posted gains in their respective MAU bases versus last year, with delivery setting a new high as well. In addition, all age groups reported more MAUs YOY, with the 60-plus group contributing almost half of the YOY gains.
The average number of online orders per MAU during the month climbed 9 percent versus year ago, marking 13 consecutive months of YOY gains in frequency. This increase was fueled by a jump in the share of MAUs completing three or more online orders during September. Small metro markets posted the strongest relative gains in frequency, climbing at a rate nearly twice that of the other market types.
The combined AOV for delivery and pickup grew by almost 8 percent YOY. Gains were recorded across supermarket, mass and dollar, along with larger surges in spending at hard discounters and club. In addition, ship-to-home’s AOV finished up by nearly 11 percent YOY, driven primarily by Amazon’s pure-play services and the firm’s ongoing expansion of same-day fresh grocery.
“A sign of the growing challenges facing regional grocers is the sharp increase in the share of Grocery MAUs that also completed at least one eGrocery order with mass during September versus the two prior years,” said David Bishop, Partner at Brick Meets Click. “The results reveal cross-shopping rates with Walmart continued to expand significantly in 2025, and the rate for Target also increased YOY, even though it remains significantly lower than Walmart.”
