Online grocery shopping is only getting more popular over time — particularly for Millennial and Gen Z shoppers. In our 2023 Online Grocery Shopping Report, we learned that 60% of Millennials and 58% of Gen Z have increased how regularly they grocery shop online, which is around 7% higher than the older half of our survey respondents.
The purchasing power of Millennials and Gen Z is growing quickly, so it’s important for omnichannel grocery retailers to learn about their grocery shopping habits. We analyzed our 2023 survey data by generation and discovered some online grocery shopping statistics that can help retailers meet these younger consumers where they are.
A quick disclaimer — throughout this post, we’ll refer to surveyed respondents aged 18-29 as Gen Z, and those aged 30-44 as Millennials, despite these buckets not aligning exactly with the age definitions for each generation.
Millennial and Gen Z Online Grocery Shopping Trends
Here are some of the top overall trends among Gen Z and Millennial grocery shoppers:
Around 4 in 10 Millennial and Gen Z shoppers buy groceries online weekly.
Millennial and Gen Z shoppers are most likely to spend $51 to $200 per online grocery order.
Walmart is the preferred online grocery store for Millennial and Gen Z shoppers
Millennials and Gen Zers like convenience and keep steady habits — 84% of Millennials are likely to repurchase items, and so are 75% of Gen Z shoppers.
Let’s get into the details. To explore more online grocery shopping trends, check out the full Chicory Online Grocery Shopping Report.
How often do Gen Z and Millennials order groceries online?
Gen Z and Millennials’ grocery shopping habits skew towards weekly shopping: 44% of Gen Z and 42% of Millennials order groceries online every week. For an online grocery retailer, that means promising recurring revenue — especially if they create a seamless, convenient online food shopping experience.
The buying patterns of Millennials are especially reliable: though only 5% of survey respondents said they purchase groceries online daily, 40% of those were Millennials.
How much do Gen Z and Millennials spend on online groceries?
There weren’t significant spending differences between Gen Z and Millenial online grocery shopping trends, so we analyzed them as a collective. 41% of Gen Z and Millennial grocery shoppers spend between $51 and $100 on each grocery order. 35% of them spend between $101 and $200 on their grocery orders.
This falls in line with the data we have on all consumers: most shoppers are averse to paying for grocery delivery for smaller orders. In order to justify the convenience expense of a delivery fee, they make it worth it by getting more shipped at once. This, too, represents a strong opportunity for online grocery retailers: online orders mean large average cart totals.
How many people are Gen Z and Millennial consumers shopping for?
Both Millennial and Gen Z consumers are most likely to shop online for groceries for three to five members of their household, whether that means a multigenerational household, a house full of roommates, or a growing young family.
57% of Millennials shop for three to five people at a time, as do 46% of Gen Z. But it’s also very common for Gen Z shoppers to just be shopping for themselves or one additional person: 40% of Gen Z consumers shop for just one to two people when buying their groceries online, compared to only 29% of Millennials.
Which stores do Gen Z and Millennial consumers prefer for groceries?
Gen Z, Millennials, and other generations all agree that Walmart is their favorite online grocery store. However, Dollar General was also a popular answer, and 60% of those who did rank Dollar General first were part of Gen Z. Younger consumers are especially conscious of price and Gen Z’s shopping habits reflect that — whether they’re students, just starting out in their careers or supporting multiple family members.
How likely are Millennial and Gen Z shoppers to keep buying the same products from the same online grocery retailer?
84% of Millennials are either very likely or likely to repurchase products from a previous online order, and the same goes for 75% of Gen Z.
To win the basket and guarantee repeat business, brands and retailers should focus on making it easy for shoppers to add items to cart and check out. This may look like a “repurchase cart” option or a shoppable advertisem*nt in recipe content.
Here’s a tip — try Shoppable Links from Chicory to power any digital touchpoint with single or multi-retailer shoppability.
The Reasons Behind Millennial and Gen Z Online Grocery Trends
Millennial and Gen Z shoppers choose to buy groceries online for a few reasons, the most important including:
Convenience
Price
Accessibility
Let’s review how each of these factors impacts grocery shoppers who are Millennials or Gen Z.
Convenience
Convenience is by far the number-one reason why members of all generations order groceries online. The reason they want that convenience varies.
When analyzing Gen Z consumer behavior, it’s clear that this tech-savvy generation is highly comfortable shopping online and through apps — about 50% of them choose to do so on a regular basis. That said, Gen Z are often omnichannel shoppers, enjoying both the ease and speed of grocery app delivery when they’re busy, but also valuing an in-store experience that helps them get to know a brand. And though they’ve come of age in the era of next-day delivery and instant gratification, they are also known to enjoy taking their time browsing and comparing online options before ordering.
Millennials, who are also prolific online shoppers very comfortable shopping online, have a variety of reasons to opt for the convenience of online grocery shopping. Many have started having children, so they’re busier than ever, and for those who haven’t, they have more discretionary income to spend on the ease and convenience of grocery delivery.
And though many elderly people initially turned to grocery delivery as a way to prevent exposure to COVID, they also realized it can also help them address mobility challenges.
Members of all generations are continuing to shop online, and the more seamless the experience, the more they’ll keep coming back. That’s why it’s important to optimize online shopping systems — because everyone values the time they save by shopping online.
Price
Most survey respondents noted price as one of the most important — or the most important — reasons why they shop online. With wild inflation, grocery shopping has gotten more expensive than ever, so it’s understandable that people from nearly all walks of life value the ability to shop around online for the best price.
Both Millennials and Gen Z listed being concerned about high delivery fees — significantly more so than their Gen X and Boomer companions.
Plus, 64% of Gen Z and 59% of Millennials are swayed by deals, promotions, and coupons, which heavily influence what brands they choose when shopping online for groceries.
Accessibility
Interestingly, 43% of Gen Z respondents ranked Accessibility as their number-one reason for shopping online for groceries — compared to the 39% of Gen Z that ranked price as #1. The survey described accessibility as a primary reason for online grocery shopping as “I lack easy access to grocery stores or certain products.”
Due to their younger age and lower incomes, it’s more likely for Gen Z shoppers to lack reliable access to transportation to the grocery store — especially because Gen Z are driving less (due to environmental concerns and the skyrocketing cost of driving and insurance).
Plus, the experience of lugging home heavy bags of groceries on public transit can make online grocery shopping all the more appealing.
Reaching Gen Z and Millennials with Contextual Commerce
When it comes to choosing what to cook at home, Millennial and Gen Z survey respondents both listed food blogs and recipe sites and social media as their top sources of meal inspiration. Where the two generations diverge is the order: more Millennials ranked food blogs and recipe sites first, and more Gen Z than Millennials ranked social media first. Most food content on social media, however, drives back to food blogs or recipe sites anyway, underscoring how important it is for brands and retailers to leverage recipe content.
Meal inspiration leads directly to building a shopping list and heading to the grocery store, which is why so many online grocery retailers have started advertising their products directly on recipe sites and food blogs. With just a click, consumers can start building a cart full of groceries they need to create the mouthwatering recipe they’re reading.
Millennials are the most likely to make grocery purchases directly from shoppable recipes: 57% of millennials are either likely or very likely to do so.
Find out how contextual commerce can help your store reach more Gen Z and Millennial shoppers.
