Nielsen: U.S. grocery shoppers go online to save money

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Consumers focus on savings when they log in to their digital devices to shop for groceries, according to a new study from Nielsen. The top weekly U.S. activities related to grocery shopping on a connected device, ranging from a mobile phone to tablet, included reading online grocery circulars (62%), looking for coupons online (55%) and browsing a manufacturer’s website for a grocery category (55%).

The "Nielsen Global Survey of Digital's Influence on Grocery Shopping" also found top monthly U.S. activities included looking for deals and coupons (both at 43%), followed by price checking/consumer reviews (37%). The highest ranked daily activities were using digital shopping lists (39%) and looking for deals online (31%).

"Connected consumers and their devices are providing consumer packaged goods makers and retailers with options to differentiate their brands and stay relevant," Nielsen SVP consumer and shopper insights Todd Hale said. "Those who can keep up with what matters most to digital shoppers will be well positioned for the short and long term."

When asked which factors influenced their grocery purchase decisions compared with a year ago, U.S. respondents identified rising food prices (49%), health factors such as heart/cholesterol/weight (28%) and increased transportation costs (28%) as having a “major impact” on their decisions. Food labeling (25%) and retailer loyalty programs (24%) rounded out the top five U.S. “major impact” categories.