Roughly 42 percent of parents report increasing their online grocery shopping frequency, according to a recent survey as part of a “back to school” report from the Food Industry Association’s 2023 U.S. Grocery Shopping Trends.
The findings also suggest that parents are twice as likely to always shop online for their groceries than consumers as a whole.
“Whether it’s modifying the grocery list to ensure your children arrive at school charged with a nutritious breakfast, stocking up on the necessary elements for packing school lunches, ensuring there are healthy afterschool snacks available, accommodating ramped-up appetites at dinnertime, or adapting to more frequent family meals at home, school days dramatically impact American grocery shopping,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI, in a statement.
With record-high temperatures and several extreme weather events, summer disruptions caused parents to alter their spending habits accordingly, noted the research.
Of those surveyed, 64 percent of parents report eating at home more than usual over the past few months, while 53 percent overall report eating at restaurants less often than usual. Comparatively, parents were also more likely to stock up on grocery staples in anticipation of extreme weather than other shoppers. Parents were also more likely to buy more bottled water and hydration drinks than their counterparts.
The trend report also found the following:
• Sixty-three percent of parents and 59 percent of shoppers note that consumers are more likely to eat at home this year, compared to last year
• Fifty-nine percent of parents report cooking their own meals more frequently in 2023.
• Forty-seven percent of parents report an increase in healthy eating, compared to just 36 percent of shoppers overall.
• Forty-two percent of parents report that they are more likely to rely on frozen foods this year, an increase of 10 percentage points over shoppers in general.
Related: Specialty Ecommerce Growth Slows; Report: Despite Challenges, Independents Reveal Strong Year