October online grocery sales rose 10.5% from a year ago

U.S. consumers spent $11.6 billion buying groceries online in October, up 10.5% from a year ago, according to the Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey, sponsored by Mercatus.

The survey data is not adjusted for inflation, which averaged around 3% year-over-year for food and non-alcoholic beverages in September, the last month for which data is available.

October was the second consecutive month of record monthly active users, which helped to drive the double-digit growth. The report also found that purchase patterns continue to shift among online grocery shoppers, with the ship-to-home segment now accounting for more than 20% of total online sales.

“The October 2025 results are a reminder that online grocery sales growth is not on autopilot,” said David Bishop, a partner with Brick Meets Click. “Customers choose how to receive online grocery purchases based on many factors, including cost and convenience, and the impact of Amazon’s same-day grocery service – which offers customers a lower-cost alternative – is becoming visible.”

Online’s share of weekly grocery spending in October 2025 ended the month at 16.3%, climbing 1.1% versus last year. The share expansion was fueled by higher spending rates in medium-sized metro markets, according to the report.

The base of online grocery monthly average users grew nearly 13% in October from a year ago to 83.3 million households. The report said most of the user growth came from re-engaging users who last bought online groceries three months ago. There also was an uptick in households that had never shopped for groceries online before October.

The average number of online grocery orders completed per user during October climbed for the 14th consecutive month, but under 1% growth from a year ago. In large metro areas, order frequency declined versus a year ago. In the rest of the markets, order frequency ranged from 7% to 15% more than a year ago. Consumers over the age of 60 led the increased ordering above all other age groups.

Despite the solid growth rate in active users, the average ticket or order value declined by nearly 3% compared to a year ago. Brick Meets Click reports consumers reduced the number of times they shopped online, and the amount they spent each time.

Delivery and pickup segments experienced a pullback in order values in October, with spending per order at supermarkets remaining unchanged. Spending per order in the mass retail segment posted a mid-single digit drop from a year ago. Consumers who chose ship-to-home for the online grocery orders spent 5% more during the month on average compared to a year ago.

The report found that mass retailers and Amazon’s same-day fresh grocery service were behind the overall growth.

PREVIOUS GROWTH
Following is the October U.S. online grocery sales year-over-year growth.
2025: $11.6 billion, up 10.5%
2024: $10.5 billion, up 28.1%
2023: $8.2%, up 5.1%
2022: $7.8 billion, down 3.7%