Online Grocery Shopping in the Coronavirus Era: 8 Things You Must Know

The coronavirus outbreak has forced many consumers to rethink how they'll carry out everyday household errands without putting themselves in harm's way.

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The coronavirus outbreak has forced many consumers to rethink how they'll carry out everyday household errands without putting themselves in harm's way. In recent weeks, grocery stores have been wiped out by frantic shoppers stocking up on essential items such as toilet paper and disinfectant wipes. But as more consumers adhere to shelter-in-place recommendations and more stores limit access, online grocery shopping is fast trending up.

In fact, GroceryDive.com reports that Instacart, Walmart Grocery and Shipt have all seen surges in average daily app downloads in the last month. Instacart led the way with a 218% increase, followed by Walmart at 160% and Shipt at 124%.

Suddenly, the dynamics of online grocery shopping have changed dramatically -- even for longtime customers. We've talked with industry insiders and smart shopping experts about what consumers can expect these days when ordering groceries online. Here's what they had to say.

Andrea Browne Taylor
Contributing Editor

Browne Taylor joined Kiplinger in 2011 and was a channel editor for Kiplinger.com covering living and family finance topics. She previously worked at the Washington Post as a Web producer in the Style section and prior to that covered the Jobs, Cars and Real Estate sections. She earned a BA in journalism from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is Director of Member Services, at the National Association of Home Builders.