Which Online Grocery Delivery Apps are Most Popular?
Which Online Grocery Delivery App is Most Popular?
The data shows that iPhone and Android users not only prefer different phones, they also have different taste in grocery stores. In our analysis we found that the most downloaded grocery delivery app for iPhone users was Morrisons (followed by Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Ocado and Waitrose); on the other hand, Android users downloaded the Asda grocery delivery app the most frequently (followed by Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Ocado and Waitrose). The chart below shows the download rank of each app in the "Shopping" category in the Apple App and Google Play stores.
| Grocery Deliver Service App "Shopping" Ranks | Google Play Store | Apple App Store |
|---|---|---|
| Asda | 17 | 29 |
| Tesco | 21 | 37 |
| Morrisons | 33 | 25 |
| Sainsbury's | 52 | 64 |
| Ocado | 55 | 80 |
| Waitrose | n/a | 119 |
These companies all offer online ordering through an app for home delivery. If you're wondering why some UK favourites are not mentioned above, it's because they don't offer an app. There are a number of grocers who haven't invested in an app, or even offer online shopping or delivery. For example, Iceland has not invested in an app due to the expense. Here's a quick summary of the online and delivery capabilities of other popular UK grocery stores:
| UK Grocers without an App | |
|---|---|
| Abel & Cole | Online ordering and home delivery, but no app |
| Aldi | Online ordering and home delivery is available for wine, baby, garden, home, etc. but not food |
| Co-op | Home delivery from some stores when you shop in store |
| Iceland | Online ordering and home delivery, but no app |
| Lidl | No online ordering or delivery |
| Riverford | Online ordering and home delivery, but no app |
Why are Some Online Grocery Delivery Apps More Popular?
While factors like brand loyalty, food & drink offerings, delivery slots and app functionality clearly impact the popularity of an app, the cost of a service's delivery pass seems to be a significant factor as well. As you can see in the chart below, Asda (which was most popular grocery delivery app for Android users) offers the cheapest anytime delivery pass.
You can learn more about grocery delivery costs in our article Is Online Grocery Delivery Worth the Cost?
Methodology
Choosing which grocery delivery service to use can be confusing. For example, budget-conscious shoppers who want to pay less for a delivery pass may find it difficult to compare the cost of passes between different providers, as the charges are often quoted for different time periods (e.g., per month vs. per year) and different levels of service (e.g., weekday only or anytime). As a result, we thought it would be interesting to see which apps are the most popular with consumers right now, assuming that the app which is downloaded by the most shoppers is the one offering the best value for the average household.
As download rankings can vary significantly from day to day, we gathered a month's worth of data. Averaging the data provided a more reliable metric for the popularity of each app over a longer period of time.