Online grocery sales top $11.6 billion in October, up more than 10%

U.S. monthly online grocery sales rose 10.47% to $11.6 billion in October, an increase of $1.1 billion compared with a year ago, according to the recently released Brick Meets Click report with Mercatus.

The data is not adjusted for inflation, which has remained elevated among several food categories, such as meats and consumer packaged goods.

October’s moderate growth rate was roughly half the growth rate reported a year ago, due to the expanding base of monthly active users, a reduction in order frequency, and smaller average order totals year over year.

The survey data found that the overall base of monthly average users grew nearly 13% from a year ago, totaling a record 83.3 million households in October. Mercatus notes that most of the user growth came from reengaging infrequent users who last bought groceries online two to three months ago. They also report some of the gains related to households that have never shopped online for groceries before. The combination of these two dynamics created the biggest gains in user rates since February 2022.

Brick Meets Click notes that all three receiving methods posted gains in their user bases compared to a year ago.

The average number of online grocery orders completed per user during October was up fractionally from a year ago. Order frequency in large metro markets declined versus last year, while other size markets reported gains between 7% and 15% from a year ago. The report also states that older adults above age 60 were the fastest-growing segment to use online grocery in October.

Average order values for pickup and delivery fell by almost 3% compared to a year ago. The ship-to-home segment reported average order gains of nearly 5% annually. Analysts at Brick Meets Click said the value of average orders at supermarkets was unchanged from a year ago, and some mass retailers posted a single-digit decline.

The growth in the ship-to-home segment’s average order values is linked to increased spending rates with Amazon’s pure-play and same-day fresh service, according to the report. The report also said some mass retailers like Walmart and its expanding marketplace also saw higher average order values compared to a year ago. Ship-to-home captured more than one-fifth of online grocery sales at the end of October.

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 and growth from young and older consumer age groups.

“The October 2025 results are a reminder that online grocery sales growth is not on autopilot,” said David Bishop, partner at 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.”

A recent report from Numerator indicated that Walmart captured 21% of the online grocery spending at the end of September. That was followed by Kroger with 8.5%, Costco’s 8.2%, Albertson’s 4.9% and the 4.1% garnered by Publix.

Following are the October gains in online grocery sales since 2022.
2025: $11.6 billion, up 10.47%
2024: $10.5 billion, up 28%
2023: $8.2 billion, up 5.12%
2022: $7.8 billion, down 3.7%