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What June’s Physical and Digital Sales Reveal About Grocery Trends

Latest NRF and Brick Meets Click data shows slightly slower in-store sales and higher online orders
Lynn Petrak, Progressive Grocer
Brick Meets Click June
(Source: Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey, June 2025)

According to some early reports, the month of June was marked by continued sales volatility. Consumers’ familiar pattern of both resilience and wariness was reflected in data showing pullbacks in some areas and spending in others.

On a broader basis, the National Retail Federation (NTF) released its CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor for June, showing that general sales slowed last month amid ongoing questions about tariffs and other geopolitical and economic circumstances. Per that report, total retail sales, excluding automobiles and gasoline, were down 0.33% compared to May but up 3.19% year-over-year (YoY). Sales at grocery and beverage stores dipped slightly, down 0.13% from May, but came in 2.59% higher than June 2024.

[RELATED: Midyear Review of 3 Trends Shaping the Grocery Landscape]

“June’s numbers indicate that prolonged uncertainty surrounding the economy, tariffs and trade policy could be pushing consumers to adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ approach with their household budgets,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “This was the first monthly decline since February, and spending was down across almost all sectors. Economic fundamentals haven’t been disrupted yet and shoppers still have the ability to spend on priorities, but the economy is gradually slowing and there has been an impact on the psyche of consumers. While passage of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is clearly supportive of economic growth, unresolved and restrictive trade policies remain a significant headwind.”

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Meanwhile, other data shows that many shoppers are going online to buy groceries. The latest Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey found that e-grocery sales spiked 27.6% on a YoY basis in June, to hit $9.8 billion. Brick Meets Click noted that all three e-commerce modes of pickup, delivery and ship-to-home rose in June, while in-store grocery sales dropped. The firm came to that conclusion after determining that overall grocery spending per household during the last week of June rose only 2.5% compared to last year; excluding online sales, that suggests in-store sales across all retail formats were down versus June 2024.

Within e-grocery, Brick Meets Click reported that delivery sales climbed 29% YoY, propelled by strong growth in the monthly active user base, along with higher order frequencies and values. Pickup sales rose 25%, while ship-to-home sales also turned in a strong 33% YoY lift.

“June’s strong results signal that this sustained surge in e-grocery sales, particularly in delivery, is likely to continue because delivery is now effectively free for many users,” observed David Bishop, partner at Brick Meets Click. “This evolving dynamic leverages membership and subscription programs to eliminate one of the top historical barriers to using an e-grocery delivery service.”

Brick Meets Click also underscored spending shifts across the retail landscape. Last month, the share of households that indicated Walmart was their primary grocery store during the month rose by nearly a full percentage point, while deep discount chains like ALDI, gained almost one and a half points and traditional grocery stores lost over two points.

“If you’re a regional grocer, these results should be a wake-up call: Take control of your customer data and put it to work to stay competitive,” declared Mark Fairhurst, chief growth marketing officer at Mercatus, which sponsors the monthly survey. “A year of aggressive delivery promotions and a sharp rise in cross-shopping between supermarkets and Walmart highlight the urgent need to defend your customer base on every channel by owning the relationship at each touchpoint and building a smarter, more connected experience to drive growth and stay relevant.”

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