Research and Markets: E-Commerce: The Internet Grocery Market Market Report 2013

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7wmbrr/ecommerce_the) has announced the addition of the "E-Commerce: The Internet Grocery Market Market Report 2013" report to their offering.

“E-Commerce: The Internet Grocery Market Market Report 2013”

Over the past decade or so, supermarkets and other grocery retailers have continued to invest significantly into broadening their Internet presence and expanding the number of channels through which their goods are sold. Key Note estimates that sales of groceries transacted via online channels observed double-digit growth between 2007 and 2011, increasing by 127% overall.

One of the major trends to have driven growth within the Internet grocery market is m-commerce that is sales made via mobile channels, i.e. smartphones and tablet computers. The increasing popularity of smartphones and tablets among consumers has resulted in a whole host of retailers investing significant sums of money into mobile sales platforms, as well as downloadable applications (apps'), which offer a more interactive and personalised shopping experience.

Recent innovations within this particular area have included Sainsbury's Mobile Scan & Go' app, which allows consumers to scan products and track how much they have spent while in-store using their smartphone. Elsewhere, both Ocado and Tesco have recently invested in virtual superstores or virtual shopping walls, where smartphone owners can scan item barcodes attached to a virtual image of a particular product and then purchase such items via the supermarkets' mobile-optimised sites.

Despite the growth of online grocers in recent years, online spending still accounts for a relatively small proportion of the overall Internet grocery market, with just 3.9% of total grocery sales estimated to have been transacted via e-commerce and m-commerce channels. However, the share of the total grocery market represented by online grocers has continued to increase year-on-year since at least 2007, when their market share stood at just 2.1%.

Key Note expects the Internet grocery market to continue to go from strength to strength over the forthcoming years and has forecast year-on-year double-digit growth for 2012 to 2016. The rising uptake of Internet-connected mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, should boost sales transacted via m-commerce channels, while continued Government investment in the rollout of superfast broadband, alongside the introduction of the UK's first 4G mobile network, will also help to boost Internet activity and the use of e-commerce services throughout the country.

Companies Mentioned

- Abel & Cole Ltd

- Donald Russell Ltd

- Riverford Organic Farms Ltd

- High-Street Chains

- Holland & Barrett Retail Ltd

- Marks & Spencer PLC

- Thorntons PLC

- Department Stores

- Fortnum & Mason PLC

- Harrods Ltd

- Asda Group Ltd