Dive Brief:

• Supermarkets outscored Amazon as well as mass merchandisers Walmart and Target in a recent online grocery satisfaction survey conducted by The Feedback Group.
• Supermarkets scored 4.40 out of five points in overall satisfaction, while Amazon scored 4.30 and the mass merchants scored 4.26. Discount grocers, including Aldi and Lidl, scored a 4.11 while dollar stores scored the lowest at 3.90.
• The results, which were based on a survey of 1,000 online food shoppers, indicate that the investments supermarkets have made in online shopping over the past several years are paying off, according to The Feedback Group. 

Dive Insight:

The pandemic spurred deep investments in e-commerce for supermarket operators, which saw consumers flock to their aisles and online platforms to take advantage of one-stop shopping. Those updates included everything from app enhancements to SNAP payment expansions and new quick-delivery services.

Over the past few years, Kroger, the nation’s largest supermarket chain, has rolled out an online loyalty program, a 30-minute delivery service with Instacart and sushi and floral delivery on DoorDash and Uber Eats. It has also established a branded delivery service powered by Ocado’s robotic fulfillment warehouses to numerous markets.

Judging by The Feedback Group’s latest poll, investments like these have boosted consumer satisfaction with online services even as fewer people shop online now compared to a few years ago when the global health crisis took hold. 

However, those higher ratings may not be trickling down into higher online sales, with reports showing mass merchandisers like Walmart are stealing market share away from traditional grocers.

The Feedback Group found that nearly 90% of the consumers it surveyed were pleased with the online grocery experience across all types of merchants. But digging deeper, the organization found those shoppers are less than enthusiastic about key elements of the experience.

Consumers scored their confidence in being able to find the products they need when ordering a 3.84 out of five, while grocers’ personalization efforts rated only slightly higher, at 3.88. Respondents also gave an average 3.99 rating when asked if their preferred online grocer values them as a frequent customer.

The Feedback Group’s poll also found that online grocery is struggling to connect with young consumers — indicating a need for further innovation as the spending power of millennials and Gen Z increases. Millennials surveyed gave their most recent online grocery experience an average 4.10 rating out of five, while Gen Z respondents scored the experience at 3.95.

“These results should motivate grocers to keep innovating when it comes to their online shopping experience,” Doug Madenberg, chief listening officer with The Feedback Group, said in a statement. “Younger consumers – our future core customers – are active on so many digital platforms, eCommerce and otherwise, resulting in higher expectations than those of older shoppers.”