On the five-year anniversary of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S. online grocery sales jumped 21% year over year to $9.7 billion in March, according to data from Brick Meets Click and Mercatus released this week.
March marked the eighth consecutive month of online grocery sales exceeding $9.5 billion.
Brick Meets Click attributed the continual growth in online grocery sales to promotions and subscriptions offered by grocers, mass retailers, and third-party grocery sellers, which “are becoming essential for retaining customers and driving more recurring revenue via gains in order frequency and average order values,” Brick Meets Click Partner David Bishop said in a statement. Walmart and Amazon have reigned supreme as the top online grocery retailers, while Uber and DoorDash are among the fastest growing, according to eMarketer.
These promotions and subscriptions have largely boosted delivery, which soared more than 30% YoY to $4.2 billion in sales in March. Grocery pickup sales rose more than 8% to $3.8 billion, while ship-to-home was up more than 28% to $1.8 billion.
The U.S. online grocery market has seen a massive shift over the last five years. Prior to the pandemic, only 25% of U.S. households bought their groceries online. In August 2019, monthly online grocery sales totaled $2 billion. Then, in March 2020, sales skyrocketed more than 200% to $6.5 billion, driving an overall increase in e-commerce sales during the early months of the pandemic, with the share of households buying groceries online rose to 57%.
While from early 2021 to mid-2024, online grocery sales simmered, they’ve since picked back up. The share of U.S. households buying their groceries online peaked at 61% in February, resting at 57% in March 2025. While ship-to-home was the top delivery method pre-pandemic, delivery, followed by pickup, has since become the top method, though households are more likely to use multiple methods each month than before the pandemic.
“Customer expectations around online grocery have only increased since Covid-19 pushed many to give it a try,” Mercatus Chief Growth Marketing Officer Mark Fairhurst said in a statement. “Retailers that elevate the experience with relevant offers and meaningful rewards won’t just meet shoppers’ evolving needs—they’ll build stronger connections that fuel long-term growth.”
This report was written by Erin Cabrey and was originally published by Retail Brew.