Mothers flock to online grocery shopping

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 - 10:26 by Sarah Collinson

A new survey from Talk to Mums has revealed that 41 per cent of mothers across the UK have spent more on groceries online in the past year than they did in earlier periods.

The Grocer reports that the rise in spending is being influenced largely by the fact that parents find the e-commerce experience more convenient than visiting bricks and mortar outlets, since it fits in with their busy schedules.

Meanwhile, just under a tenth of those questioned said that they were spending more in-store at the moment, showing just how influential shopping online has become.

Thirty eight per cent of mothers said that the majority of their retail obligations were handled digitally, with those living in the South East more likely than most to buy groceries online.

Interestingly, the trend for online shopping is leading to a much narrower level of brand engagement, with over half of respondents admitting that they rarely experimented with buying new products. Instead, people stay loyal to the items they usually buy, whereas in real world stores they are far more likely to be swayed by displays and other marketing manoeuvres.

Report spokesperson, Sally Durcan, said that there was no sign of online growth slowing down, especially since modern parents have a litany of pressures on their time and are, thus, looking for new ways to optimise their daily lives.

She pointed out that the web is leading mothers to form buying habits which are hard to break, with the same weekly shop chosen over and over and experimentation unlikely to occur. And since mothers are reported to control 70 per cent of all spending in UK households, this kind of trend is one which retailers and brands will be eager to unpick and analyse.