July 2025 U.S. eGrocery Sales Jump to $10.0 Billion, up 26% versus Year Ago

A record number of monthly users for eGrocery services helped fuel the sales growth, as “free” delivery combined with convenience continues to attract customers.

Barrington, Ill. – August 12, 2025 – U.S. online grocery sales totaled $10.0 billion for July 2025, a 26.0% increase from the prior year, according to the latest Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey, sponsored by Mercatus. Record-high household penetration, strong order activity, and solid gains in spending rates contributed to the exceptionally strong growth that helped online capture over 17% of total grocery spending during the month.

All three receiving methods posted strong monthly results during July. Delivery sales drove more than half of eGrocery monthly gains, jumping 36% on a year-over-year (YOY) basis to finish July 2025 with $4.3 billion. Pickup posted $4.0 billion in monthly sales, growing 24% versus last year and contributing 38% to eGrocery YOY sales growth. Ship-to-Home ended July with $1.6 billion in sales, an increase of 10% compared to July 2024, generating the balance of online’s sales growth this year.

“The elimination of explicit fees, like the standard delivery cost, via a membership or subscription program, removes a top barrier to increased usage and customers are taking advantage of it,” said David Bishop, Partner, Brick Meets Click. “This tactic is unlocking latent demand for Delivery which is typically viewed as the more convenient but also the more expensive option when compared to Pickup.”

July 2025 set a record for eGrocery penetration as 81 million, or approximately 61% of U.S. households, bought groceries online during the month, whether the order was shipped, picked up, or delivered. Compared to a year ago, the overall number of MAUs climbed almost 11%, fueled by infrequent and/or lapsed users reengaging with this shopping mode as the total pool of households who have ever bought groceries online inched up just 35 basis points.

The average number of eGrocery orders completed by MAUs during July grew 6.5% versus 12 months ago. The two middle age groups (30-44 and 45-60) generated the gains as the youngest and oldest groups both reported slight pullbacks in activity. And, while Mass saw order frequency among its MAUs grow in the mid-single digits, Supermarkets saw its order rate decline slightly versus July 2024 – largely due to a strong YOY expansion of its MAU base.

Although all methods posted gains in their respective average order values (AOV), Delivery was the main driver of the 7% YOY increase in eGrocery’s overall AOV. Delivery’s AOV climbed 8%, Pickup’s AOV grew under 5%, and Ship-to-Home expanded by less than 2%. Another factor affecting Delivery and Pickup AOVs is the favorable shift in the mix of their respective MAU bases toward households who have completed four plus orders with the same online shopping service during the past three months. This more-engaged user segment consistently reports spending about 50% more per order than first timers.

"In an era where ‘free’ delivery is setting new customer expectations and Walmart’s retail media revenue fuels its competitive edge, regional grocers face mounting pressure to profitably serve shoppers online,” said Mark Fairhurst, Chief Growth Marketing Officer, Mercatus. “Grocery retailers that own and activate their customer data to target and personalize offers—especially for infrequent or lapsed shoppers—can turn renewed engagement into lasting loyalty, defending both sales and margins."

Total grocery spending in July grew 2.7% versus a year ago while eGrocery spending climbed 26.0% YOY. As a result, eGrocery’s share of total grocery spending jumped more than 300 bps to finish July 2025 at 17.2%, or 14.4% if including only Delivery and Pickup.

For more information about subscribing to the full monthly report, visit the eGrocery Monthly Sales report page.

About this consumer research

The Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopping Survey is an ongoing independent research initiative created and conducted by the team at Brick Meets Click and sponsored by Mercatus.

Brick Meets Click conducted the most recent survey on July 28-31, 2025, with 1,499 adults, 18 years and older, who participated in the household’s grocery shopping, and a similar survey in July 2024 (n=1,760). Results are adjusted based on internet usage among U.S. adults to account for the non-response bias associated with online surveys. Responses are geographically representative of the U.S. and weighted by age and income to reflect the national population of adults, 18 years and older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The three receiving methods for online grocery orders are defined as follows:

• Delivery includes orders received from a first- or third-party provider like Instacart, Shipt or the retailer's own employees.
• Pickup includes orders that are received by customers either inside or outside a store or at a designated location/locker.
• Ship-to-Home includes orders that are received via common or contract carriers like FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc.

About Brick Meets Click

‍Brick Meets Click is an analytics and strategic insight firm that connects today's grocery business with tomorrow's needs. Our clear thinking and practical solutions help clients make their strategies and customer offers more compelling and relevant in the changing U.S. grocery market. We bring deep industry expertise and fact-based analysis to the challenge of finding new routes to success.

About Mercatus

Mercatus drives digital transformation for retailers through an extensive suite of connected and contextualized commerce solutions. We enhance shopper engagement, tailor experiences to individual preferences, and cultivate enduring loyalty across retail businesses of every size. Our mission is to enable retailers to captivate customers, boost sales, foster retention, and deepen loyalty in a digital world. With our cutting-edge solutions, retailers can streamline operations, enrich customer experiences, and realize substantial growth. Embark on the digital transformation journey and unleash the full potential of your retail business with Mercatus.