Online food purchasing in Italy has increased by 42% in the past 12 months, with nine million consumers opting to buy groceries through e-commerce channels, a study published by Netcomm consultancy has revealed.
Growth in the sector was mainly driven by home delivery services, the report said.
The global food e-commerce market is worth €58 billion, of which Europe's share accounts for €14.9 billion.
In Europe, over 167 million people buy food online – 19 million in the UK, 18 million in Germany, 13.5 million in France, and 10 million in Spain.
Most Dynamic Sector
In Italy, food is the most dynamic sector within the e-commerce market.
However, the online food and grocery channel still has marginal penetration in Italy, accounting for just 5% of the total Italian B2C e-commerce sector.
The study also revealed that shoppers purchased food and grocery online around seven times a year, which is the highest frequency of online purchases among Italian customers.
In the past 12 months, one-third of Italian e-shoppers bought food and beverages online, with online reviews influencing 30.3% of consumers.
The report attributed the increase in the popularity of food delivery to the growth of the service in medium-large cities.
Currently, 93% of Italian cities with a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants are covered by home delivery services, compared with 74% in 2017.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
