Grocery Shopping Behavior: Using Customer Patterns To Increase Sales

Written by Luke Henry | Sep 9, 2025 12:00:00 PM

Have you ever wondered why folks shop the way they do?

Decades of research reveal patterns in how, when, and why shoppers buy — and understanding these patterns helps you plan staffing, stock the right products, and organize your layout to match real shopping habits.

In this blog, we’ll explore the data behind real grocery shopping behavior in 2025 and show how to turn it into actionable decisions that drive sales at your store.

Understanding Grocery Shopping Behavior in 2025

Meet Jordan — a 34-year-old mom of two juggling a hybrid work schedule, her busy family, and, of course, grocery trips.

Some weeks, Jordan orders her groceries online for curbside pickup after her oldest’s soccer game. Other weeks, she takes some personal time strolling the aisles for fresh produce — but always weighing price, health, and what her kids will actually eat.

While Jordan is a fictional shopper, her habits reflect the behavior of many modern grocery buyers. She reads labels, keeps an eye on her budget, and leaves room for the occasional impulse buy.

Here’s a snapshot of how shoppers like Jordan behave:

Household spending and priorities: Adults spend about $350/month on groceries, with families buying in bulk to reduce per-person costs and selecting convenient, kid-friendly items.
Health and nutrition: 78% check nutrition labels, 48% look for local products, and 30% choose organic when affordable.
Shopping methods: Over 90% of customers buy both online and in-store, often alternating between the two based on convenience and timing.
Budgeting and surprises: Three out of four shoppers make decisions outside their shopping list, often leaving $10–$11 free for unplanned purchases.

Jordan’s shopping habits are just one example, but they hint at patterns seen across many customers. How folks browse, what they buy, and when they buy it can all shape decisions around staffing, layout, and inventory.

Next, we’ll look at how peak hours and traffic flow reveal these behaviors in action.

Peak Hours, Traffic Flow, and Shopper Attention

Shoppers move through your store at different times and speeds, and these patterns affect staffing, product placement, and sales opportunities. Paying attention to when and how people shop lets you make smarter operational decisions.

Here’s what the data shows:

Peak hours: Weekday evenings (4–7 PM) and Sunday midday trips see the highest traffic. Early mornings, especially before 8 AM, are less crowded and favored by older shoppers.
Basket size: Shoppers tend to spend more at the start of the month (EBT/benefit cycles) and on weekends, with midweek trips generally resulting in smaller baskets.
Dwell time: Researchers found that, after about 23 minutes, shoppers started to make more emotional purchasing decisions, affecting basket size and impulse buys.
Promotional attention: End-of-aisle displays increase impulse buys and average spend, even without real discounts, highlighting where shoppers focus naturally.

Understanding these patterns shows you when your store is busiest and which areas attract the most attention.

Use data from your point of sale (POS) system to see which products shoppers consistently reach for, how basket sizes change throughout the day, and which promotions actually drive more sales.

With this information, you can better plan staffing, adjust inventory, and place products where shoppers will notice them — all while keeping checkout lanes smooth and shoppers satisfied.

Generational Shopping Patterns

Not everyone gets excited by the same grocery items — the branded fruit snacks that thrill your little one might not even have caught the eyes of an elderly couple.

Each generation’s habits, priorities, and comfort levels with technology shape how they shop and pay for their items. Recognizing these patterns can help you plan product placement, promotions, and checkout options more effectively.

Gen Z (Born 1997–2012)

Gen Z shoppers grew up with technology at their fingertips, and it shows in how they approach grocery shopping. They value convenience, sustainability, and what’s trendy on social media — and they expect retailers to meet them where they are, whether online or in-store.

Gen Z grocery shopping behaviors include:

Preferring mobile payments and digital wallets instead of using cash or traditional cards.
Using curbside pickup and online grocery orders as part of their routine.
Responding strongly to trend-driven, ethically sourced, and health-conscious products.
Prioritizing affordability while occasionally splurging on specialty or organic items.
Buying packaged produce more frequently than bulk.

Gen Z is more budget-conscious, but still wants access to trendy or specialty items — so to appeal to them, focus on providing convenience and visibility.

Mobile pay at checkout and simple online ordering fit naturally into their routines, while loyalty discounts and bundle deals help stretch their dollars. Keeping an eye on trending products via social media is key, since what’s popular can shift quickly and influence what this generation looks for in-store.

Millennials (Born 1981–1996)

Millennial shoppers often plan trips for their households, sometimes with children, carefully balancing price and quality when choosing products.

Millennial grocery shopping behaviors include:

Using online ordering and curbside pickup, while also visiting stores for fresh produce or specialty items.
Comparing prices and taking advantage of promotions or loyalty offers to stretch household budgets.
Prioritizing health-conscious, local, or organic products when they are affordable.
Buying in bulk to reduce per-person costs within the household.

To appeal to Millennial customers, offer clear online and in-store options for staples, fresh produce, and specialty items. Many plan mid-week trips for weekday meals and weekend family cooking, with occasional quick runs for essentials like milk or snacks.

Loyalty programs that reward regular purchases, along with bundle deals on family-friendly or health-conscious products, catch their attention. Positioning local or organic items where shoppers naturally pass by can gently encourage larger baskets and repeat visits.

Gen X (Born 1965–1980)

When shopping for groceries, Gen X shoppers often balance household responsibilities with a desire for convenience and quality. They’re comfortable using technology but tend to adopt it selectively, relying on digital tools only when they save time or add value.

Gen X grocery shopping behaviors include:

Paying mostly with credit and debit cards, occasionally using digital wallet options.
Taking advantage of loyalty programs that reward repeat purchases.
Researching products online, but typically completing purchases in-store rather than over the phone or computer.
Buying bulk items and packaged produce to balance convenience with quality.

To appeal to Gen X shoppers, highlight mid-tier organic or locally sourced products alongside everyday staples. Show transparent pricing and loyalty points for bulk purchases, and place bundle deals near checkout or high-traffic aisles.

Baby Boomers (Born 1946–1964)

Baby Boomer shoppers prioritize quality, familiarity, and value. Many are shopping for themselves or for dual-adult households, and they are generally less influenced by trends or social media than younger generations.

Baby Boomer grocery shopping behaviors include:

Preferring in-store shopping to experience products firsthand, especially for perishable goods.
Using mostly credit and debit cards, with limited adoption of digital wallets.
Planning trips around sales, using detailed shopping lists to prioritize discounted items.
Favoring familiar brands, consistent quality, and items that store well over trend-driven choices.

To appeal to Baby Boomer shoppers, make it easy to find familiar brands and staples with clear signage and organized aisles. Feature trusted products prominently on your shelves and highlight straightforward promotions, like bundle deals, that reinforce value.

If your store has self-checkout, keep some traditional lanes open during peak Baby Boomer hours to accommodate shoppers who prefer staffed registers.

Cultural Shopping Habits

Beyond generational differences, cultural background influences how shoppers approach grocery trips, what they prioritize, and how they respond to brands and promotions.

Key grocery shopping behaviors include:

Shopping focus: Some shoppers choose items based on personal taste, often selecting quality or specialty products.
Family or group influence: Shoppers make decisions based on family or community input, favoring familiar or highly rated brands.
Produce preference: 87% of 40–49-year-olds and 86% of Asian households bought packaged produce, compared with 74% of 18–29-year-olds and 73% of Hispanic households.
Trip style: Some shoppers plan trips as a group activity, while others make quick, individual runs for essentials.

Understanding cultural differences helps plan the store around shoppers’ habits. Some folks prefer group trips for weekly staples, so placing high-demand items like bread, rice, or milk in accessible aisles can reduce congestion.

Others make solo or quick trips for specific items, so highlighting single-serve meals, produce, or specialty products near the front or endcaps can catch attention.

Digital promotions and loyalty offers can match these patterns, such as family bundle deals for planned trips and single-item discounts for quick visits.

Online Grocery Shopping Behavior

We’ve already touched on how some shoppers prefer in-store trips while others rely more heavily on online orders, scheduling pickups, and clipping digital coupons.

For those who spend time shopping online, understanding what stops them from completing purchases can make a big difference in capturing sales.

On average, shoppers abandon 50% of online grocery carts, with common triggers including:

Pricing transparency: Shoppers leave if total costs, taxes, or delivery fees appear late in the checkout process.
Payment options: Limited payment methods or unclear wallet compatibility can discourage completion.
Freshness concerns: Produce, meat, and dairy substitutions without clear best-by or expiration dates often cause shoppers to abandon orders.
Checkout friction: Long or confusing forms, mandatory account creation, or slow pages reduce completed sales.

Showing all costs upfront and offering multiple payment options helps shoppers complete their orders. Clear communication about freshness guarantees and substitution policies builds confidence, while recovery emails or retargeting ads can remind customers about their abandoned carts.

Loyalty points or bundle discounts reward completed purchases, and tracking abandoned items in your POS and online systems highlights products that may need adjusted promotions, inventory, or delivery options.

Using Grocery Shopping Behavior To Refine Store Flow

Understanding how, when, and why shoppers buy helps you design a store that fits their habits. Peak hours, dwell time, generational preferences, cultural differences, and online shopping patterns all reveal ways to improve staffing, product placement, and promotions.

Consider these adjustments to make your store more efficient and shopper-friendly:

Staff for peak traffic: Focus on weekday evenings (4–7 PM) and Sunday mid-day trips; scale back early mornings.
Encourage larger baskets: Use endcaps, eye-level placement, and larger carts to boost impulse and volume purchases.
Cater to generational habits: Younger shoppers respond to mobile pay, digital coupons, and packaged produce, while Baby Boomers prefer familiar brands and staffed registers.
Support cultural and family shopping patterns: Group staples for family trips and highlight quick-access items for solo shoppers.
Balance bulk and packaged options: Offer both to match household size, income, and age preferences.
Reduce online-to-in-store friction: Show all costs, provide multiple payment options, clarify freshness policies, and reward completed purchases.
Leverage sensory cues: Colors, scents, and gondola ends can attract attention and drive add-on purchases.
Track and adjust: Use POS data to modify layout, inventory, and promotions based on real shopper behavior.

By applying these strategies, you can make your store easier to navigate, increase basket size, and ensure displays, staffing, and promotions align with how customers actually shop.

Next Steps: Tools To Track Grocery Shopping Behavior

As with all trends, these observations offer a general look at how shoppers move, plan, and purchase — but the real insight comes from your own data.

An industry-specific POS system lets you see what’s truly happening in your store, showing which products draw attention, when traffic peaks, how basket sizes shift, and where bottlenecks occur.

IT Retail helps you identify these patterns in real time and adjust staffing, inventory, and layout to match actual shopper behavior. Check out the free savings calculator to see how much you can save with a grocery-specific POS solution.

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