New York, November 19, 2025 – Ipsos Unveils 2025 Grocery Ecommerce Excellence Study
Today, Ipsos, a vanguard in the realm of market research, has proclaimed the release of the Ipsos 2025 Channel Check-In | Grocery Ecommerce Excellence Study.
This report unveils a distinctive ranking that evaluates online grocery ordering experiences and identifies brands that are effectively meeting, or indeed surpassing, shopper expectations.
Now in its fifth iteration, the 2025 study benchmarks digital ordering performance across 15 prominent grocery chains in the United States, accompanied by four third-party aggregators. The comprehensive analysis is underpinned by Ipsos’ esteemed methodologies in mystery shopping and consumer research.
The insights garnered from this study serve as a critical tool for operators, marketers, and product teams.
They facilitate the identification of customer pain points, prioritize enhancements, and accelerate innovations that foster loyalty and enhance revenue streams. The report also celebrates exemplary performers in this rapidly evolving sector:
- H-E-B: Awarded for delivering the Best Overall Performance in both curbside pickup and delivery, achieving exceptional scores across various ecommerce dimensions.
- Shipt: Recognized as the Best Overall Performer among third-party ecommerce providers for customization and order delivery experience.
- Hy-Vee: Achieved top honors for curbside pickup customization and delivery experience among supermarket brands.
- Kroger: Excelled in curbside pickup experience.
- Giant Eagle: Rated highest for delivery customization.
- Uber Eats: Topped the list for third-party delivery experience, recognized for its user-friendly navigation and detailed product descriptions.
The 2025 report is constructed from two complementary data sources. An Ipsos survey of 1,205 U.S. adults, who have recently engaged in online grocery ordering, supplements evaluations by 1,762 mystery shoppers from Ipsos’ renowned practice, iShopForIpsos. These evaluators rigorously assessed the operational execution of leading brands.
Notably, the study reveals a robust likelihood of continued usage for curbside pickup and grocery delivery. Almost half of curbside pickup users (46%) engage with this service at least weekly, while 71% express a desire to continue.
Likewise, 46% of delivery customers utilize this option weekly, with 73% intending to persist in this channel in the future. The factors contributing to customer retention in these ecommerce avenues include:
- Time Efficiency: Shoppers value expedience, preferring quick access to essential items while alleviating the physical exertion involved in traditional grocery shopping.
- Reduced Friction: Users seek straightforward purchase processes, options for delivery or pickup time slots, and timely updates regarding their order status.
- Pricing Perception: Attitudes toward pricing discrepancies, service fees, or higher prices online compared to in-store can lead to cart abandonment.
Brad Christian, Chief Commercial Officer of Ipsos Experience Group, stated, As grocery ecommerce embeds itself into the fabric of consumer lives, supermarket brands are encountering intensified competition to provide seamless, rapid, and engaging digital experiences.
Our longitudinal research indicates that brands investing in their digital platforms consistently rise in the rankings. The ecommerce arms race is a tangible reality, and we are monitoring it in real time.
In conducting the study, Ipsos surveyed 1,200 individuals aged 18 to 65, all of whom had recently utilized a grocery chain’s ecommerce service for curbside pickup or delivery. The objective was to extract insights pertaining to consumer preferences and expectations in grocery ordering.
Utilizing these insights, an essential driver analysis was performed to delineate operational and experiential attributes, converting them into measurable performance indicators.
Additionally, approximately 100 mystery shoppers were deployed to each of the 15 supermarket brands and four third-party delivery service providers, evaluating how effectively each brand met operational standards.
The findings encapsulate the perspectives of survey participants alongside observations from mystery shoppers.
About the Channel Check-In | Grocery Ecommerce Excellence Study Awards
Each brand featured in the Ipsos Channel Check-In | Grocery Ecommerce Excellence Study received scores indicative of their adherence to operational and experiential standards for both curbside pickup and delivery. These scores are classified into three primary assessment categories:
- Order Experience: Recognition for brands showcasing excellence in product detail findability, navigation ease, item availability, promotional visibility, payment security, purchase simplicity, and satisfaction with pickup time slots.
- Customization: Awarded to brands that excel in order customization, managing out-of-stock preferences (for Delivery), and delivery scheduling.
- Pickup or Delivery: Acknowledgment for brands that provide optimal delivery time confirmations, timely order updates, delivery notifications, punctual delivery or pickup, eco-friendly packaging, and overall order accuracy.
Ipsos stands as one of the preeminent global market research and polling entities, operational in 90 countries and employing nearly 20,000 professionals.
Our dedicated research teams, analysts, and scientists have cultivated profound, multi-specialist capabilities that yield substantive insights into the beliefs, actions, and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers, or employees.
Our diverse portfolio of 75 business solutions is predicated on primary data derived from surveys, social media scrutiny, and qualitative or observational methodologies.
Founded in France in 1975 and publicly listed on Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999, Ipsos is a component of the SBF 120 and Mid-60 indices, eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD). ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS: FP.
Source link: Ipsos.com.
