Fresh produce suppliers cannot afford to miss out on growth forecasts for online grocery retailing, according to the IGD.
The latest research by the market analyst forecasts that online shopping will almost double its value in five years to be worth £11.2 billion in 2016.
Michael Freedman, shopper insight manager at IGD, said: “From a fresh perspective, fresh produce suppliers cannot afford to miss out on this multi-channel world.
“Some 44 per cent of shoppers say they plan to shop online in the future from only 17 per cent now.
“The whole issue is that shoppers are mixing online with other channels and so suppliers have got to be involved in the whole market.”
IGD found that wider uptake of smartphones is driving the growth and nearly half of all online grocery shoppers own a smartphone, compared to just a quarter of the wider population.
Researchers also found that some 42 per cent are using online shopping as their main grocery shop, implying that they are not just using the service to buy ambient and bulky items but also their fresh produce.
“Fresh produce suppliers need to focus on how they can work better and work smarter on picking up on shoppers views,” said Freedman.
“It is about making sure they are in multi-channel mode and that any promotions are online as well as in store to drive impulse purchase,” he added.
