BARRINGTON, Ill. – After surging more than 20% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2024, total U.S. eGrocery sales have maintained that pace for six consecutive quarters through the first quarter of 2026, according to the ongoing monthly Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey. The sustained growth is being driven by fulfillment innovations that significantly shorten delivery times for both Delivery and Ship-to-Home orders.
Two key developments—ultra-fast Delivery and sub-same-day Ship-to-Home for fresh groceries—are accelerating the shift to online grocery spending while reducing the need for quick in-store trips. These capabilities have helped Amazon and Walmart expand their share of wallet within existing customer bases and capture additional market share. Meanwhile, although Pickup continues to post solid gains, its growth is being outpaced by Delivery and Ship-to-Home, which are expanding at nearly three times the rate of Pickup.
“Given this competitive activity, the big question for traditional grocers – and especially regionals – is how they will accelerate growth and remain relevant while protecting profit margins and the customer experience,” said David Bishop, Partner at Brick Meets Click. “To provide some answers, we have integrated growth opportunity mapping into this year’s eGrocery performance benchmarking initiative.”
Online’s share of total grocery spending has climbed dramatically on a quarterly basis, expanding from less than 15% at the end of 3Q24 to more than 19% in 1Q26. When excluding Ship-to-Home – a service most regional grocers do not offer – online's share of total spending jumped from 12% to nearly 16% over the same period.
During this period of hyper-growth, Walmart and Amazon capitalized on these shifts in demand to expand their dominant positions
- Walmart has achieved larger share gains than Amazon and is now approaching a 40% share of total U.S. eGrocery sales. Delivery has propelled this growth, specifically via orders received within one hour of checkout.
- Amazon captured its share gains by expanding the availability of fresh groceries within its same-day fulfillment network, which recently introduced sub-same-day options with even faster cycle times.
During 1Q26, Brick Meets Click estimates that same-day eGrocery orders accounted for nearly 80% of Delivery orders and over 30% of Ship-to-Home orders across all retail formats. Furthermore, ultra-fast fulfillment (i.e. within one hour or less) made up 18% of all Delivery orders and 10% of Ship-to-Home orders.
The 2026 Brick Meets Click benchmarking initiative is currently open to qualifying regional grocers who operate a first-party ecommerce site and/or mobile app. The program evaluates the economic and strategic roles that third-party marketplaces play within a regional operator’s broader omnichannel strategy. Participating banners will remain anonymous and can receive tailored recommendations based on performance gaps against top-performing peers, plus an assessment of current practices regarding customer acquisition, basket building, and retention.
“Our goal is to help regionals identify and prioritize the specific opportunities that will drive stronger financial and operational results over the next one to two years,” Bishop added. “With outputs beginning to flow in late August, the timing is designed to directly support a grocer’s annual planning process.”
