From washing machines and table lamps, UK consumers are shifting their online spending to fresh grocery items.
Online searches for kitchen staples like milk, bread, cheese and eggs have increased by 108%, which constitutes 20% of the most popular search terms from 1.5 million searches analysed across Criteo UK Sponsored Products.
Households frequently shop for milk online, hence the reason for increase in total searches for this item to 92% from the first three months of the year. Wikiquest Answers
If you're wondering how people do their groceries online, they compare prices from different retailers, place their order, and then they either pick it up in-store or have it delivered as they would with shoes, clothes or any other product.
As to how retailers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) can take advantage of the growing eGrocery market, Ben Cooper, managing director at Criteo Brand Solutions, EMEA, shares this advice:
"The speed at which shoppers are using search as a discovery tool for their online grocery shopping is quickly starting to reflect more established retail segments. This means that retailers and marketers must adapt the ways in which they're engaging these customers."
The report of Criteo also shows that 40% of all online grocery purchases took place on mobile phones, indicative of a mature mCommerce market in the UK.
Who's shopping for groceries online?
Practically everyone in the UK has shopped for a pantry item online, and hence the reason that the country's total grocery spending is ahead of other European countries by nearly 7%.
As far as numbers go, though, there are more millennials who buy grocery items online than the older generations.
They won't hesitate to spend more to meet the minimum threshold which qualifies them for free shipping.
57% of younger shoppers said they have purchased volumes of food items online, while only 40% of baby boomers admitted to having done so.
If you're into the FMCG segment, you will want to re-evaluate and reposition your product categories.
Put the everyday essentials in the forefront of your store for the convenience of your customers.
Before that, though, study your customer database and identify the age bracket of frequent grocery shoppers as the contents of a shopping list depends on the age of a buyer.
What are the other most searchable terms?
Aside from dairy products, the following items and brands also made it to UK's top searches online:
Coffee
Bacon
Crisps
Chicken
Pizza
Chocolate
Pizza
Maxi dress
Butter
Paddling pool
Cereal
Sausages
Soup
Sandals
Bananas
Apples
Wine
Dr. Scholl's
Washing machine
Magic Minerals
Gazebo
Weight Watchers
Slim Fast
Dior
Makeup Forever
No!No!
MAC
Kudos to every one of you whose products made it to the list, but keep in mind that no amount of search volume will do your business good if it doesn't convert into actual sales.
While it's good that people are looking for the stuff you're offering, it's better to work on getting them hooked on it so much that they eventually buy it.