July 30, 2025
Digital Grocery Loyalty Isn’t Keeping Up with Its 71% Adoption Rate
Online grocery shopping is now firmly part of American consumer behaviour: 71% of shoppers have done it, and half do it at least once a month. But a new survey from composable commerce provider VTEX shows that loyalty hasn’t caught up. Many customers are still holding back due to ongoing frustrations with fees, poor fulfilment, and a lack of personalisation.
While almost 70% of respondents shop online for groceries occasionally, and 30% do up to a quarter of their grocery shopping digitally, loyalty remains fragile. Only 52% prefer shopping on a grocer’s own app or website, with others choosing third-party delivery platforms or abandoning digital carts altogether.
Daniela Jurado, EVP of North America at VTEX, said: “The modern grocery shopper expects the same ease, clarity, and control online that they’ve always experienced in-store. The challenge, and opportunity, for grocers is to eliminate friction without adding operational complexity. That’s exactly what unified commerce makes possible.”
Service Fees Hindering Adoption
Service fees remain a major barrier to digital grocery adoption. More than half of respondents (54%) said they’re put off by extra charges, and 49% cited surprise costs at checkout as a reason for not completing orders. The friction doesn’t end there: shoppers also want better visibility into order fulfilment, more control over fresh item selection, and loyalty programmes that work seamlessly across digital and mobile.
“Grocers can’t afford to treat ecommerce as an add-on. When consumers prefer your website over third-party marketplace apps and want a more personalised journey, that’s your opportunity to own the experience. Unified commerce is how you deliver it at scale, and without complexity,” added Jurado.
Personalisation could be one way to close the loyalty gap. Sixty-five percent of shoppers want grocery experiences tailored to their household needs or purchase history, and 79% are already engaged in loyalty or rewards programmes. But nearly half say they prefer digital-first loyalty, and many don’t feel grocers have delivered that yet.
