OREANDA-NEWS. One in five shoppers in the United States regularly buys groceries online, and two in five have bought groceries online in the past, a recent survey shows.

The findings of the study, commissioned by Brick Meet Click and announced by SAP SE (NYSE: SAP), show that retailers face enormous pressure to adjust internal and customer-facing business strategies to keep pace with rapidly evolving consumer demands.

“The tide is rising,” said Bill Bishop, chief architect of Brick Meets Click and primary author of the new study. “Active users spend an average of 16 percent of their weekly grocery dollars online, and that grows to 64 percent on weeks they do a major online grocery trip.”

Other key findings of the survey include:

The percentage of U.S. households that bought groceries online in the past 30 days has nearly doubled in just two years: 21 percent in 2015 versus 11 percent in 2013.
Online grocery trips are different from in-store shopping. Three themes dominate online grocery shopping:
Specific product shopping
Major grocery shopping
Subscription-based shopping
“A digital core is the foundation of a retailer’s digital value network,” said Lori Mitchell-Keller, global general manager of consumer industries for SAP. “Retailers that operate a true digital enterprise can empower the workforce and deliver a better user experience that goes beyond a mobile smartphone or tablet. They can respond to shoppers in real time — with a 360-degree view of the customer.”