Retail Channels
13 January
Over half of US households ordered online groceries in December
Egrocery sales were just shy of record highs as mass retailers gained, according to Brick Meets Click and Mercatus.

(Photo courtesy of Walmart)
Egrocery sales were just shy of record highs as mass retailers gained, according to Brick Meets Click and Mercatus.
(Photo courtesy of Walmart)
U.S. egrocery sales finished 2022 near record highs, offering another sign that the pandemic uptick in this ecommerce category is proving to be sticky.
Key data from the Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey for December 2022, fielded Dec. 28-29, is as follows:
Here’s a look at key data by category of egrocery:
via Brick Meets Click/Mercatus
Mass retailers, which include multicategory stores like Walmart, Amazon and Target, were the biggest contributor to gains, outpacing contributions from pure-play grocers. The monthly active user base at mass retailers grew nearly three times faster than the overall MAU base, accounting for nearly half of the total MAU base on the month. Mass AOV also grew three times faster than grocery, with a year-over-year increase of 12%.
It’s true that mass retailers have been attracting new shoppers amid inflation as people seek lower-price options to stretch dollars. That was on view in December, as more than 30% of users cross-shopped at both mass and grocery retailers. But mass retailers have also continued to improve the ecommerce capabilities, creating a better experience for customers.
The two trends are connected. Walmart executives illustrated this on their recent earnings call: The retailer is seeing more affluent customers seek it out as they look to save money. At the same time, Walmart is working to keep these customers coming back by bolstering pickup and delivery, as well as increasing perks through the membership program Walmart+.
“The investments that mass retailers have put into their pickup services are a significant driver of the format’s gains,” said David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click, in a statement. “And while lower prices are a contributing factor in the growth of the mass MAU base, being able to more consistently execute at the store level is also helping to strengthen retention and engagement with existing customers, especially when compared to grocery.”
Hammering the point home, mass retailers also outperformed grocery stores when it comes to repeat intent rates, which measures the likelihood that customers will use digital grocery again. In this category, mass and grocery were about even in 2021. Now, mass has an advantage of more than 10 points.
This serves notice to pure-play grocers that the competition for share is only picking up. With sales continuing to grow, adding digital capabilities is just as much a must now as it was at the start of the pandemic.
“Regional grocers have many opportunities to improve the customer experience and the profitability of operating an online grocery service today,” said Sylvain Perrier, president and CEO at Mercatus. “From our ongoing work and research into online customer behavior, we’ve learned how important it is to develop a strategy that makes sense both financially and operationally, and that builds on how a grocer is positioned in the market and with their core customers.”
On the Move has the latest hiring update from The Vitamin Shoppe and At Home.
Heidi O’Neill has a new role at Nike. (Courtesy photo)
This week, Unilever, Nike and BigCommerce are seeing major transitions in the executive ranks. Meanwhile, The Vitamin Shoppe named a permanent CEO, and At Home brought on a longtime Walmart executive as president.
Conny Braams. (Courtesy photo)
Consumer goods giant Unilever announced key changes in top leadership roles. These include:
Graeme Pitkethly will retire as chief financial officer, effective at the end of May 2024. The board is set to launch a formal search for his successor. Pitkethly has been with Unilever for 21 years.
Conny Braams, who serves as chief digital and commercial officer, will leave the company, effective August 2023. Braams previously held senior management roles including Executive Vice President (EVP) of Middle Europe; and EVP Foodsolutions Asia, Africa and Middle East.
Craig Williams. (Courtesy photo)
Nike, Inc. announced several key leadership changes focused on consumer-led growth and marketplace. They are as follows:
Heidi O’Neill who is currently president of consumer and marketplace, will become president of consumer, product and brand.
Craig Williams, who is currently president of the Jordan Brand, will become president of geographies and marketplace at Nike, Inc.
Matthew Friend, EVP and Chief Financial Officer at NIKE, Inc., will expand responsibilities to include procurement, global places and services and demand and supply management.
Jared Carver will serve as CEO of Converse. Over the last four years, he served as VP/GM of North America for Converse.
Scott Uzzell, the previous CEO of Converse, transitioned to a new role as VP/GM, North America for Nike, Inc.
“These shifts will allow us to streamline our focus across product, brand storytelling and marketplace, mining deep consumer insights to deliver breakthrough innovation and engagement, while building long-term growth and profitability,” said Nike CEO John Donahoe, in a statement.
Lee Wright. (Courtesy photo)
Lee A. Wright was named CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe on a permanent basis, after serving as interim CEO since January 2023. Wright previously served as Chief Commercial Officer of Franchise Group and in executive roles at Conn’s.
Muriel Gonzalez was promoted to president of the retailer, after serving as EVP and chief merchandising and marketing officer of The Vitamin Shoppe since August 2020.
BigCommerce announced the following leadership roles:
Daniel Lentz was promoted to chief financial officer of BigCommerce, effective July 1. He previously served as SVP of finance and investor relations. Lentz will succeed CFO Robert Alvarez, who is retiring after a 12-year stint as CFO.
Chuck Cassidy was promoted to general counsel, effective June 2. Cassidy previously served as VP and associate general counsel. He will succeed Jeff Mengoli, who is retiring.
Hubert Ban was named chief accounting officer. He will replace Vice President of Accounting and Principal Accounting Officer Thomas Aylor, who departed the ecommerce platform on May 19.
Jeff Evans. (Courtesy photo)
Jeff Evans was named president and chief merchandising officer of At Home, the home goods retailer.
Evans previously served as EVP of entertainment, toys and seasonal at Walmart, managing the largest general merchandise business for the retailer. He rose to the position after serving in executive roles at Walmart US and Sam’s Club.