US Online Grocery Survey 2026: Delivery Pulls Ahead as Quick Commerce and AI Redefine Grocery Shopping

Published – July 2026

Discover how US online grocery is evolving as AI-powered shopping assistants, rapid delivery and subscription programs reshape shopper expectations, fulfillment strategies and retail competition.

Read this report to uncover answers to these and other questions:

• How are AI-powered shopping assistants changing the future of grocery e-commerce?
• Why is delivery becoming the preferred fulfillment method for online grocery shoppers?
• How can retailers use rapid delivery to support both convenience-led and routine grocery missions?
• What role do subscription programs such as Amazon Prime and Walmart+ play in driving online grocery engagement?
• How are GLP-1 consumers creating new opportunities for meal-kit providers and health-focused grocery offerings?

Data in this report include: US online grocery purchase rates and expectations; delivery versus collection trends; rapid grocery delivery usage and platform adoption; AI-shopping-assistant feature preferences and comfort with AI auto-purchasing; online grocery retailer penetration and category purchasing trends; and meal-kit subscription usage among GLP-1 users.

Introduction

US Online Grocery Survey 2026: Coresight Research Analysis

1. Key Findings
2. Overview of Online Grocery Shopping in the US
3. Other Survey Findings in Detail

What We Think

• Implications for Retailers
• Implications for Technology Vendors

Notes and Methodology

Albertsons Companies; Aldi; Amazon; BJ’s Wholesale Club; Blue Apron; Costco; Dollar General; Dollar Tree; DoorDash; FreshDirect; Grocery Outlet; HelloFresh; Home Chef; Instacart; Kroger; Publix; Target; Walmart.

All Respondents: How Comfortable They Are Allowing an AI assistant to automatically purchase groceries on Their Behalf—Without Them Reviewing Each Order First—Within a Budget or Preference Set in Advance (% of Respondents)

Online Grocery Shoppers: Whether They Mainly Had Online Grocery Orders Delivered or Collected Them in the Past 12 Months (% of Respondents)

Online Grocery Shoppers: Proportion That Had Bought Groceries Online Using Rapid Delivery (Same-Day or Under Two Hours) in the Past 12 Months (% of Respondents)

All Respondents: Whether They Have Used an Online Meal-Kit Subscription Service in the Last 12 months, By GLP-1 Users (% of Respondents)

All Respondents: Proportions Who Had Bought Groceries Online in the Past 12 Months and Expect To Buy Groceries Online in the Next 12 Months (% of Respondents)

All Respondents: Proportion Who Had Bought Groceries Online in the Past 12 Months, by Age Group (% of Respondents)

All Respondents: Proportion Who Had Bought Groceries Online in the Past 12 Months, by Household Income (% of Respondents)

Rapid Delivery Users: How Their Use of Rapid Grocery Delivery Service Changed Over the Past 12 months (% of Respondents)

Rapid-Delivery Users: Rapid Delivery Service They Had Used for Online Grocery Purchases in the Past 12 Months (% of Respondents)

Rapid-Delivery Users: Grocery Items They Have Purchased Using Rapid Delivery in the Past 12 months (% of Respondents)

All Respondents: Which Features of an AI-Shopping Assistant Would Be Most Attractive to Them (% of Respondents)

Online Grocery Shoppers: Retailers from Which They Have Bought Groceries Online in the Past 12 Months (% of Respondents)

Online Grocery Shoppers Who Have Access to Walmart+ Membership: Feature or Benefit of Walmart+ They Use Most Often (% of Respondents)

Online Grocery Shoppers: Proportion That Had Bought Groceries Online from Amazon or Whole Foods Market in the Past 12 Months, by Prime Membership (% of Respondents)

Amazon Grocery Shoppers: Amazon Services Used To Purchase Groceries in the Past 12 Months (% of Respondents)

Online Grocery Shoppers: The Size of Their Typical Online Grocery Order Compared to Their In-Store Shop (% of Respondents)

Online Grocery Shoppers: Proportion of Total Grocery Shopping Done Online (% of Respondents)

Online Grocery Shoppers: Grocery Categories They Purchased Online in the Past 12 Months (% of Respondents)

Respondents Who Expect To Buy Groceries Online in the Next 12 Months: Reasons for Buying Online vs. at a Physical Store (% of Respondents)

Shoppers Who Do Not Expect To Buy Groceries Online in the Next 12 Months: Reasons Why They Do Not Expect To Buy Groceries Online in the Next 12 Months (% of Respondents)

Meal-Kit Subscribers: Top Reasons for Using an Online Meal-Kit Subscription Service (% of Respondents)

Meal-Kit Subscribers: Services Used in the Past 12 Months (% of Respondents)