In September, large-scale online sales beat expectations

Italians continue to drive online sales in mainstream grocery retail. In September, the turnover of the online channel was equal to 148 million euros, +27% compared to the same period the previous year, surpassing expectations. The cumulative result for the first nine months of 2021 reached 1.25 billion euros, only 80 million less than total turnover in 2020, with the trend for the same period reflecting + 40% growth.
These numbers confirm that even during the period of the so-called “controlled return to normality” in terms of travel and access to commercial establishments, the growth trend of the online channel has remained sustained. It is clearly not in line with the most difficult period of the health emergency, but at the same levels as in 2019, with the huge difference that in these two years the market has practically tripled.  A recent survey by IRI also confirms that Click & Collect is growing twice as fast as home delivery.
Regarding individual categories, the lion’s share in September was made up of products from the dietary/health and oral hygiene categories, pet food and frozen foods.
IRI estimates see growth levels to the year end similar to that of the month just ended and therefore of about 20 percentage points, with turnover close to 140 million euros. The balance of power between delivery services (Click & Collect and home delivery) is stable, with spirits expected to be an addtional category to perform strongly in online sales in the final quarter.