Digital grocery has evolved from a pandemic-era convenience to a core retail channel. More than 90% of US consumers now shop for groceries both online and in-store, according to FMI and NielsenIQ. As the channel matures, the competitive battleground shifts from basic fulfillment to AI-powered personalization, retail media monetization, and seamless omnichannel experiences. This FAQ addresses the trends, players, and strategies shaping digital grocery in 2026.

Amazon, Target, and Walmart are stepping up their holiday fulfillment efforts to reassure late shoppers that gifts will arrive before Christmas. Amazon is adding clear “Arrives before Christmas” messaging and enabling delivery or pickup on many items through Christmas Eve, while Target is extending store hours and leaning on rapid curbside, in-store pickup, and same-day delivery. Walmart is expected to match or exceed last year’s Christmas Eve express cutoffs. These moves highlight how crucial last-minute reliability has become, as faster delivery speeds increasingly shape where shoppers spend and give retailers with strong fulfillment networks a powerful competitive edge.

Tomorrow’s grocery shoppers will expect AI tools that anticipate their needs, faster checkouts, and consistent pricing across channels. In this new era, convenience and technology will shape behavior, but value and trust will remain the deciding factors.

Sam’s Club is targeting a major ecommerce expansion, aiming to grow digital sales from 18% to at least 40% of total revenues by leveraging Walmart’s supply chain and new digital tools. Recent updates include a redesigned website and app with flexible fulfillment options, larger media-rich product pages, and expanded club-fulfilled delivery. The retailer is testing larger fulfillment spaces and adding online experiences like pizza delivery to drive engagement. With 40% of members using Scan & Go, Sam’s Club is streamlining in-store trips while building a stronger digital ecosystem, boosting ad opportunities and positioning itself against Costco and other rivals.

Christmas Day is less than a week away, but some consumers are still chipping away at their lists. That’s why Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Dollar General are announcing last-minute holiday deals for consumers seeking the perfect gift.

Walmart rolls out series of initiatives to attract customers to its stores and boost ecommerce business: The retailer is opening a cashierless Sam’s Club store, adding pet care centers, and automating more distribution centers.

Both retailers used generative AI to improve employee productivity in Q2—Walmart leveraged the tech to improve its product catalog and Target used it to enhance in-store employee tools. Target’s curbside pickup service helped it grow digital comparable sales 8.7% YoY, while Walmart’s marketplace and sales of GLP-1 drugs contributed to its 4.2% comp sales growth YoY.

Aldi is partnering with Instacart to deploy the latter’s Connected Stores solution. The partnership comes at a time when consumers are increasingly turning to discount retailers for low prices amid a tough economic climate.

Ecommerce will account for 35% of all back-to-school shopping this year: That’s a massive shift from the 23% share it accounted for prior to the pandemic as consumers embrace convenience.

As consumers look for quick and convenient ways to shop, the number of click-and-collect buyers in the US will rise to 150.9 million in 2024, representing 53.1% of the population, per our December 2022 forecast.

Ulta expands in-store ecommerce fulfillment to 400 locations: Stores fulfilled nearly 40% of the retailer's digital orders.

Michaels and Shutterstock are navigating growth through a blend of creative initiatives and hard metrics. Michaels is focused on enhancing its customer experience and its new online marketplace. Shutterstock is leaning into SEO, automated dashboards, social listening, and collaboration.

Embracing mobile gives consumers access to a branded experience both online and in-store, while in-store technologies bring the digital world into the physical. To cater to shoppers no matter where or how they shop, brands should also make sure they’re balancing in-store and online rewards as well as D2C and wholesale commerce.

Walmart taps B2B to grow its margins: The retail giant is adding new products and tools to Walmart Business to attract more B2B customers and drive loyalty.

In-store pickup will emerge as the clear preference for US click-and-collect buyers.

Wing has big ambitions for drone delivery: The Alphabet-owned company aims to handle millions of orders within the next 12 months as it expands how the technology is used.

Click and collect has matured as an ecommerce channel, but growth will slow as pandemic concerns alleviate.

The Cyber Five period used to be the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. But this year, Amazon’s October Prime Day event could take away from Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, according to Adobe.

US click-and-collect sales will maintain strong momentum over the near term, but the fulfillment method is no longer meaningfully stealing dollar volume share from delivery or from in-store purchasing.

Ecommerce sales at Walmart, including Sam's Club, will reach $67.39 billion in 2021, per our forecast.