Online grocery shopping is beginning to show resurgence and is poised for substantial growth. From convenience to selection to pricing, discover what consumers want and which strategies work best to keep them engaged.

Web sites related to mobile phones – both handsets and services – showed the highest traffic growth in the UK, according to new research from The Nielsen Company.  Overall, the sector posted 58 percent growth on a year-to-year basis.  Visits to Nokia’s site grew by 203 percent, while Vodafone and O2 also posted solid growth (91% and 79%, respectively).  At the same time, schemes that enable consumers to recycle their old mobiles for cash drove more people to related web sites for information. 
Perhaps as a sign of the times, the …

Consumers are sticking with basic purchases in categories like fresh meat, pasta, packaged dinners along with baking mixes and supplies as meal preparation consumption comes back to the home.
Increases in wine and alcoholic beverages indicate that consumers are opting to consume their favorite beverage at home too. At the same time they are continuing to avoid discretionary items, according to the latest monthly update of U.S. Retailing & Consumer Trends from The Nielsen Company.
The non-edible departments were the greatest contributors to an overall 1.2 percent unit sales decline at food, …

Although Australia’s economy may have technically avoided entering a recession, almost two-thirds of Aussies believe that it has, and consumer confidence has plummeted to an all-time low.  Concerns about job security and personal finances have led Australians to change the way they shop, with a focus on value.  Like consumers in Europe and North America, Australians are trying to stretch their dollars further: they are eating out less, entertaining and cooking at home more often and buying more private label goods. 
These changes present a range of challenges for retailers and …

Todd Hale, Senior Vice President, Consumer & Shopper Insights
Over the latest six (4-week) periods ending 5/16/2009, store brand unit sales averaged a 5.7% increase in consumer-packaged-goods departments tracked by Nielsen in food, drug and mass-merchandisers (including Walmart).  Most of this growth is from edible departments (i.e., fresh meat, fresh produce, packaged meat, dairy, dry grocery, frozen and deli).  While branded unit sales declined, on average by 3.1%, unit sales in the last two periods were up 2.2% and off 1%, respectively.  While this is not a definitive sign that brands are turning the …

Americans are increasingly turning to foods and beverages that promote healthy living.  But just how much do these foods generate in sales? And which categories have shown the most growth?  Nielsen’s Healthy Eating Report for 2008 answers these and many other questions about food and beverage health and wellness claims.
Highlights of the report include:

Food labeled as “natural” generated $22.3 billion in sales in 2008, up 10% from 2007, and up 37% from 2004
Organic foods (UPC-coded) …

The worldwide economic slowdown has resulted in a significant decline in consumer spending as retailers of all types have been affected.   But while people may hold on to their cars longer or put off the purchase of a new handbag, they all must eat.  Even grocers are seeing a big change in how consumers are spending their money.  According to new Nielsen research prepared for the BBC, food shoppers are spending their money on more basic items such as white bread, baked beans and other staples.
Sales of standard sliced white …

Women ages 25 to 54 with at least one child are nearly twice as likely as the average American Internet user to provide frequent online advice about parenting and family issues (88% more likely), non-food household products (84% more likely), and beauty/cosmetics (82% more likely).
These “power moms” are also 51% more likely than average Web users to provide frequent online advice on clothes and fashion, food and beverage products (39% more likely than average), home decorating (36% more likely than average), and health, dieting and exercise (27% more likely than …

Record high fuel prices, soaring commodities costs, and declining consumer confidence have changed the way U.S. consumers shop, according to a recent Nielsen consumer survey.  
Results from the survey indicate that 63% of U.S. consumers have reduced their household spending this year. 
The findings also suggest that consumers will continue to combine shopping trips, eat at home, and seek out at-home entertainment.