Leading Grocery Brands in the United States: Q4 2024 Performance Overview

The grocery store landscape in the United States continues to evolve, with digital presence playing a crucial role in brand performance. In Q4 2024, Kroger, Publix Super Markets, and Safeway emerged as leading brands in the Grocery Stores category, each demonstrating unique trends across their websites and apps. This analysis, powered by Sensor Tower, provides insights into their performance from Q3 to Q4 2024.

Kroger

Kroger is a well-established name in the grocery industry, known for its expansive product offerings and customer-centric approach. Its digital presence is robust, featuring its website, kroger.com, and the Kroger app.

• Audience Trends: Throughout Q4 2024, kroger.com experienced fluctuating visits, peaking in December with over 63M visits. The unique visitor count also saw an increase, remaining above 8.6M in December. The monthly True Audience grew steadily, surpassing 14M by the end of the quarter.

• App Engagement: The Kroger app maintained a strong monthly active user base, with users increasing from 8M in October to over 8.7M in December, indicating a consistent preference for mobile shopping.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Kroger significantly increased its monthly advertising spend in October, reaching nearly $13.8M, with impressions peaking at over 1.5B. Major channels included Facebook and OTT, the latter seeing a substantial rise in December with impressions exceeding 83M.

Publix Super Markets

Publix Super Markets is renowned for its customer service and community involvement. Publix maintains a substantial digital footprint, highlighted by its website, publix.com, and the Publix app.

• Audience Trends: Publix.com had stable monthly traffic, with visits nearing 31M in December. Unique visits showed a slight increase, while the monthly True Audience reached around 6M by the end of the quarter.

• App Engagement: The Publix app saw a consistent rise in monthly active users, ending December with approximately 3.5M users, reflecting steady engagement with mobile consumers.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Publix's monthly ad spend peaked in November at over $4.6M, with significant impressions on Facebook and Instagram, demonstrating effective use of social media platforms.

Safeway

Safeway, part of the Albertsons Companies, is known for its commitment to quality and convenience. Safeway's digital strategy includes its website, safeway.com, and the Safeway Deals & Delivery app.

• Audience Trends: Safeway.com saw a resurgence in December with visits exceeding 20M. The monthly True Audience remained strong, hovering around 7M throughout Q4.

• App Engagement: The Safeway app showed continued growth, with monthly active users increasing to over 5M in December, highlighting a growing mobile market share.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Safeway's advertising efforts were consistent, with December monthly spend reaching approximately $1.8M. Pinterest emerged as a key channel, providing substantial impressions.

Conclusion

Sensor Tower's comprehensive data reveals distinct digital strategies and performance trends among leading grocery brands in the United States. Kroger, Publix, and Safeway each demonstrate unique strengths across web and app platforms, underpinned by strategic advertising efforts. Sensor Tower's unparalleled insights into web, app, and advertising data are crucial for understanding cross-platform user behavior, empowering brands to optimize their digital presence effectively.

For more detailed insights, explore Sensor Tower's Web Insights, App Performance Insights, and Pathmatics offerings.