As grocery e-commerce grows, independents are missing out on an essential shopping channel. Learn Mark Baum’s 7 tips about omnichannel shoppers.
September 17, 2025
Even as grocery e-commerce has grown exponentially, enticing more and more shoppers to buy food online, many independent natural products retailers have retained a relatively strong base of loyal customers. By sticking to their values and continuing to provide exceptional in-store experiences, they’ve maintained steady foot traffic—enough to make some feel justified in pushing e-commerce to the backburner.
But independents’ days of ignoring the omnichannel phenomenon (and not suffering for it) may be limited. An astounding 90% of U.S. consumers now purchase groceries both in-store and online, according to data from NielsenIQ and FMI—the Food Industry Association—and these are not just supermarket, big-box-store and club-store shoppers either.
In the natural and specialty channels specifically, about two-thirds of consumers grocery shop both in-store and online, per NIQ and FMI research, while around 10% do it all online. Just under one-third of natural and specialty grocery shoppers don’t buy any groceries online—but that percentage is shrinking fast, says Mark Baum, FMI’s chief collaboration officer and senior vice president of industry relations. Meanwhile, the already large omnichannel group is expanding—also fast.
“When independents say, ‘online is not a big issue for us,’ they are ignoring a growing trend,” Mark Baum, the CCO at FMI, says. “You need to be aware of the ways consumers are shopping, defining the path to purchase, defining value. And as the industry continues to evolve, the many ways to shop between channels and platforms will evolve as well.”
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In short, omnichannel is the new way, and Baum says independent grocers should not merely accept but embrace it. “The omnichannel shopper tends to be your best shopper,” he notes. “Online shopping generally doesn’t cannibalize the basket, per se. Instead, it’s accretive.”
For this and many other reasons, “I think all independents have a great opportunity to reach the omnichannel shopper,” Baum says. “You don’t have to be a deep-pocketed chain to capitalize on this trend. Every independent operator, regardless of how many stores or where they’re located, should be looking at opportunities. There are a lot of partners out there, so you don’t have to go it alone.”
In fact, independents have an important edge over their chain competitors. “These retailers are stitched into the fabric of their communities in ways that major chains often are not,” Baum explains. “So, they have a better opportunity to personalize the overall shopping experience.”
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Here are seven useful tips for nailing omnichannel.
Mark Baum, the CCO of FMI, offers actionable tips for independent grocers to tap into omnichannel shopping.
According to NIQ and FMI, omnichannel is growing across all consumer groups. That said, those who prefer online grocery shopping tend to be younger adults, young parents, urbanites and exurbanites. Among millennials and Gen Z, about 25% prefer to purchase groceries online, compared to slightly over 20% of Gen Xers and just shy of 15% of boomers.
“And now you have Gen Alpha coming into the equation,” Baum says. “You can do the math and figure out where the trend will go.”
For now, Baum advises independents to really focus on Gen Z throughout their omnichannel strategy. “They are a huge generation, very influential and their spending power will increase exponentially over the next five years or so,” he explains. “They are the most digitally engaged and probably the most influenced by social media. Plus, a lot of Gen Z still lives at home, where they have a huge influence on their parents and household purchases, so that is key.”
Providing a seamless online experience is incredibly important, if not imperative, for omnichannel success. “Make sure your site is very navigable and tied into the equity you have in your banner or brand,” Baum says. “Make it a powerful tool, not just a platform to browse; make it an extension of your team in reaching the consumer.”
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This is where point-of-sale and loyalty data become clutch. “All of that first-party data is so important for understanding your customer so that you can offer up curated experiences,” Baum says. “If you have a newsletter or circular or do email blasts, tie that into your online offering as well. Those things don’t cost a lot of money—they just take a little time and consideration.”
Also keep in mind that the online experience doesn’t end once a shopper enters a physical store. Many people today use their phones while perusing the aisles, Baum says, whether to help locate items, comparison shop or read more about products piquing their interest. “In the future, there will be a much greater opportunity for independents to interact dynamically with their consumers online and in-store simultaneously,” he says.
There are upsides and downsides to working with third-party delivery services. Independent grocers need to weigh their options and decide on what is best for their brand. Credit: CANVA
Although some natural grocers use their own employees to pick or deliver online orders, it’s more common to outsource one or both tasks to an independent operator such as Instacart, Door Dash or Uber Eats.
“These third-party providers have become much better at understanding shopper needs and fulfilling orders,” Baum says. “This is great, because, as a retailer, you want to excite and delight your customers and meet or exceed their needs.”
But there’s a downside to that too. “I might be a little concerned about watering down the equity in your banner or brand,” Baum says. “When that driver shows up to a house wearing a logoed shirt that’s not from X independent retailer, that sends a subtle message.”
Therefore, retailers should weigh the outsource vs. in-house equation carefully—and continually. “Obviously, cost and labor are factors,” Baum says. “The consumer used to pick, pack and deliver their own groceries, and now you need to figure out how to do all of that cost-efficiently. For independents, that is probably a crux issue.”
All things considered, however, “if you can outsource a turnkey operation, keep costs down, make the omnichannel shopper your best shopper, make it accretive to the basket and make a bit more money, then that’s probably the most cost-effective way to implement your omnichannel strategy at this point,” Baum says.
All of this can add up to major opportunities for natural independents wanting to up their omnichannel game. By touting their wealth of high-quality wellness offerings online, making it simple for shoppers to purchase these products virtually and perhaps even offering auto-replenishment or subscription services, natural retailers can meet omnichannel shoppers’ needs while holding their own against encroaching competition.
Natural products retailers typically have rich assortments of nonfood products such as supplements, personal care, household cleaners and home goods. These same categories tend to be “gateway items for online purchasing,” Baum says, since most are shelf stable and don’t provide a sensory in-store experience like foods can. Also, once consumers have found a supplement or skin cream they love, they’ll often buy it again and again, says Baum, something that can be easy to do online.
Fresh foods pose a unique challenge with many opting to shop in person. To appeal to online shoppers, get to know their tastes. Credit: CANVA
Nonperishable, nonfood items may be gateway goods, but by 2025, the gates have blown wide open, creating even more runway for natural independent to excel at omnichannel.
In the past, many people hesitated to purchase produce, meat and other fresh items online, preferring to select their own in-store. Some of that hesitancy remains, but Baum says fresh produce and meat have both become top-selling categories online—a direct result of retailers having earned consumer confidence in their picking and packing acumen over time.
“Even pre-COVID, we started seeing a lot more leafy greens in those [virtual] baskets,” he says. “That means retailers have done a great job of understanding shopper wants and needs—knowing whether they like their bananas green or yellow, knowing how they like their cantaloupes, etc.”
Conventional players are doing it; natural products retailers can too.
“Technology is changing everything, and the pen of AI will be written into almost everything we do in the future,” Baum says. “For independents, it’s important to understand how this will impact your business, both from an omnichannel-shopper standpoint and enterprise-wide.”
Now, that doesn’t mean jumping on every new technological advancement that emerges, no matter how dazzling. “But get informed,” Baum says. “Determine what technology solutions are for you over the next few years. If some of this technology looks amazing but really has no application to your business, then move along. I encourage our independent operators to think of it that way.”
Read more about:
Melaina Juntti
Freelance writer
Melaina Juntti is a longtime freelance journalist, copy editor and marketing professional. With nearly two decades of experience in the natural products industry, she is a frequent contributor to Nutrition Business Journal, Natural Foods Merchandiser and NewHope.com. Melaina is based in Madison, Wisconsin, and is passionate about hiking, camping, fishing and live music.
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