Nielsen, MyWebGrocer enter alliance to measure online supermarket sales

ORLANDO, Fla. — Nielsen has teamed up with a provider of digital grocery tools and a grocery media network to offer consumer packaged goods companies a view into consumers' online supermarket purchases.

As part of its partnership with MyWebGrocer to measure U.S. online supermarket sales, Nielsen said that it has acquired a license to MyWebGrocer's e-commerce sales information, aggregated from 60 U.S. supermarket retailers. Through this license, Nielsen will utilize its Online Basket View provide regular insights on online supermarket shopping sales, including online shopping basket purchases, for its retail clients included in the MyWebGrocer network.

Nielsen Online Basket View insights are slated to be available to CPG manufacturers in third quarter 2011, Nielsen said, noting that it plans to measure approximately 30% of all online U.S. supermarket sales. Currently, no aggregate reporting of actual online supermarket sales data is available in the industry, the company said.

"We're making it possible — for the first time — for CPG companies to understand online shoppers with the same rigor we apply to offline shopping analytics," Nielsen strategic initiatives president John Burbank said. "We can share our insights into what decisions and purchases shoppers are making online, where and when."

Added MyWebGrocer chief strategy officer Alec Newcomb, "Online and offline, consumer shopping behaviors are converging. At MyWebGrocer, we connect shoppers to retailers and brands, and Nielsen’s expertise in what consumers watch and buy makes it a natural organization for us to work with so we can help CPG companies understand their impact in the digital shopping channel."