Record number of people shop food online

Not surprisingly the online food trade has doubled in Sweden during the pandemic. 

  • E-commerce on food increased by 101.2% in April compared to the same period in 2019.
  • The online food trade has gone up during the corona crisis - and it is mainly the elderly who contribute to the record numbers. E-commerce on food increased by 101.2% in April compared to the same period in 2019 - the largest increase to date, according to the Swedish Food Retailers Federation. “A customer group that has begun to e-shop food to a much greater extent than before are the elderly,” says Karin Brynell CEO of the federation, Svensk dagligvaruhandel in Swedish. "In a short period of time, several of the industry's largest chains have increased their e-commerce capacity to match the increased demand, which means that e-commerce is growing incredibly strong with both large average purchases and an influx of new customers. A customer group that has begun to e-shop food to a much greater extent than before are older consumers," Brynell says.

  • At the same time, home deliveries of food increased by 56.8% during the period and overall sales through all channels of retail by 6.7%. The hoarding trend in March has largely stopped. Sales are now at a higher than normal level as a result of more meals being consumed in the home.