The online food market in Italy, consisting of the grocery and food and wine segments, has grown by 27 per cent this year, compared to 2014, and is worth over €460 million (3 per cent of the entire e-commerce sector).
The figures come from the 2015 report of the Netcomm eCommerce B2C Observatory of Milan Polytechnic.
Due to the late launch of online grocery shopping services in Italy, compared to the rest of Europe, the grocery segment currently only accounts for 1.2 per cent of the entire Italian e-commerce market.
According to Alessandro Perego, scientific director of the Digital Innovation Observatories of Milan Polytechnic, food is one of the most dynamic sectors in the Italian B2C eCommerce market.
Growth has been registered both in the grocery (supermarket purchases) and food and wine segments, with 2015 turnover reaching €200 million and €260 million, respectively.
Contributing to the positive results are the launch of several click-and-collect services by Italian retailers, offering consumers the possibility of ordering online and picking up their purchases in stores.
In the food and wine segment, initiatives have been launched by regional producers, retailers, wineries and start-ups for the sale of fresh products (especially fruit and vegetables), the delivery of prepared lunches at home, and the sale of niche products.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
