Click and collect services have grown 10 percentage points since the beginning of the year. In March, 46% of meat consumers used a local grocer’s website/app for pickup, compared to 36% in January.

In March, 57% of consumers purchased meat or chicken online in the past month. Most (91%) of these consumers purchased their protein from a local retailer’s website/app for pickup or delivery.

Since January, Net Promoter Scores® (NPS), a gauge of consumer experience, for online meat/chicken ordering have jumped from 26 to 59* for meat-specific services (e.g., ButcherBox, Crowd Cow) and from 38 to 59* for general delivery services (e.g., Instacart, Amazon Grocery).

In addition, 2 in 3 consumers who use these services are considered “promoters” — those likely to recommend them to a family member or friend.

While the percentage of consumers ordering meat from non-grocery sites is relatively small, these companies offer quality meat products and have highly satisfied customers. To grow share in the online meat space, focus on expanded purchasing options, hassle-free ordering and reliable delivery.

*Based on global NPS standards, any score above 0 is considered “good,” a score of 50 and above is “excellent,” a score of 70 and above is “world class.”

Many consumers have appeared to push past reservations about others selecting their meat products. 53% of online meat consumers purchased a majority of their meat and chicken online (vs. in-store) during the previous month, which equates to 30% of all meat eaters.

Some of this online buying is being driven by COVID-19; once the pandemic is over, 41% of online meat consumers (23% of total meat eaters) say they will purchase most of their meat online.

To keep consumers buying the bulk of their meat online post-pandemic, create an uber-convenient purchase experience that delivers quality products – minus the trip to the store. (Some things don’t change: 18% of consumers said they don’t like going to the grocery store.)

Demographics
Men, younger consumers, households with income above $50K, households with children, college graduates, consumers in urban areas, and Asian and Hispanic consumers are more likely to purchase meat/chicken online and they are generally using the various sources more often.

Segmentation
Nearly 9 in 10 consumers who are Protein Progressives have purchased meat/chicken online, while 58% of Convenience Chasers and 54% of Family-First Food Lovers have also purchased meat online.

• Protein Progressives: busy trend setters looking to experiment, eat all proteins, most likely to replace meat with plant-based proteins
• Convenience Chasers: price-conscious coupon and promotion seekers who put convenience first, less interested in claims
• Family-First Food Lovers: love to cook and explore in the kitchen, believe meal time equals togetherness, prefer meat/poultry with nothing added