Online shopper population shrinking

More than half, 52%, of post-pandemic e-commerce customers are no longer shopping online compared to a year ago.

That's a top finding of shopper research data from SymphonyAI Research on changes in online and in-store shopper behavior.

The research involved analysis of more than 58 million shopper baskets of actual purchase data across the U.S. and Europe, according to a press release.

The loss of former online customers has had significant impact on e-commerce revenue growth, according to the release. While total online revenue growth only dipped by 1% in Q1 2023 compared to Q1 2022, buffered in part by inflation, the study showed a 14% net decline in the total number of online shoppers (departing shoppers offset by new shoppers).

"The overall decline in online customers and their impact on e-commerce growth is significant," Laetitia Berthier, head of client engagement, SymphonyAI Retail CPG, said in the release. "Contrary to expectations, the losses are coming not from shoppers who were forced online during the height of the pandemic, but rather those shoppers who had moved online after the pandemic. It's critical for retailers to understand those customer dynamics and their fast-changing needs to succeed in the critical online channel."

The research indicated lost online customers that did revert to the brick-and-mortar location had a reduction in overall spend by 16%, indicating they are fulfilling their grocery needs elsewhere.

More than 71% of online households in Q1 2023 were considered omnichannel households, and they are actively growing sales for retailers.