Grocery spend in the UK is expected to soar by 38% this year thanks to rising inflation.
According to the RetailX United Kingdom Ecommerce Country Report, 45% of people surveyed said they expect to spend the same amount on groceries this year.
This comes as last month prices for meat and vegetables almost doubled UK supermarkets compared with last year. Consumer watchdog Which? revealed the prices of juice, yoghurt, chocolate, water, fish, chilled ready meals and cheese also saw spiralling price rises.
This resulted in the government announcing a scheme which would see the UK’s leading supermarkets voluntarily agreeing to put a price freeze on essential food items to help customers with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
However, the research also revealed grocery sector is the most popular online category among UK shoppers, with 62% of people surveyed revealing they have shopped for groceries online in the past year.
Alongside the grocery sector, 26% added they expect spending in the clothing and fashion sector to rise, with 43% stating they expect spending to remain the same and 31% expecting spending to drop.
Click here to download the 2023 RetailX United Kingdom Ecommerce Country Report
Shoppers also revealed they expect a drop in spending on consumer electronics in the year (37%), with just 20% believing spending will increase. This comes as only 35% of those surveyed reported they bought consumer electronic items online in the past year, making it the least popular category this year.
This was followed by 61% of consumers buying fashion and accessory items online and 52% purchasing beauty products online.
The report stated: “Online spending in this category appears to have peaked during the pandemic years – to an average of £1,010 in 2022 – when shoppers had fewer other things to spend money on, and has since fallen.
“The cost-of living crisis and sustainability awareness may be factored in this. While a relatively small proportion of UK shoppers tend to buy electronics online, those who do tend to spend more, in comparison to other categories, when doing so.”
It added: “Spending in most categories was at its highest in 2020 and has subsequently seen some level of decline.”