How has the UK online landscape evolved?

With online set to be the fastest growing channel in our channel forecasts, this Thursday we’ll be releasing two online reports on ShopperVista that revisit the online landscape and uncover how shopper behaviour has evolved over the last 18 months.

The UK online shopping landscape

The food, drink and grocery online landscape has evolved in recent years, with D2C
and social commerce gaining traction. In 2024, we created a framework of the four online sub-channels to help us better understand how shoppers approach food and grocery shopping online. This week, we return to that framework, exploring how the online landscape and shopper behaviour have evolved and what it takes to win.

One of our initial hypotheses was that social commerce usage would show stronger growth, given the noise surrounding the sub‑channel. Instead, its role remains centred on inspiration and product discovery rather than conversion. Shoppers still hesitate to purchase directly through social platforms due to trust concerns, opting to purchase through more established and trusted online sub‑channels.

Gen Z is powering much of the growth online, driving adoption across both quick commerce and social commerce. However, while younger, digitally native shoppers will accelerate growth across fast and diverse online sub-channels, you can’t afford to focus on them alone. Winning in online will require balancing innovation for emerging generations with strategies that continue to serve the needs and expectations of older cohorts.

How to win with shoppers online

The first of the two reports provides an updated view of the online landscape, equipping retailers and manufacturers with the key drivers shaping shopper decisions across each online sub-channel and helping them identify where the biggest opportunities lie. We explore:

1.      How shopper behaviour, missions and navigation methods have evolved over the last 18 months

2.      What matters most to shoppers, the factors influencing decisions, and how this differs by sub-channel

3.      The top categories purchased by shoppers, how buying patterns have shifted since 2024, and where the category growth opportunities lie

Quick commerce: delivering for shoppers

Our second report is a quick commerce deep dive. With quick commerce now a well‑established part of the UK retail landscape, we revisit the sub‑channel to uncover how shopper behaviour and the path to purchase have evolved. This report equips retailers, manufacturers and aggregators with the drivers shaping shopper decisions across the quick commerce path to purchase. We explore:

1.      How shopper usage, frequency and navigation methods have evolved over the last 18 months

2.      Missions and factors influencing product choice, as well as the categories shoppers are researching and purchasing

3.      Importance of delivery method, cost and speed in the final mile

Stay ahead with ShopperVista insights

Both reports will be available to ShopperVista subscribers from 30^th April. In the meantime, subscribers can continue to access our library of online shopper research. If you have any questions or would like to explore how we can tailor our online research to your business needs, please reach out to [email protected] or contact Rosie Young for further information.