B2B Online Grocery Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global B2B Online Grocery Market is projected to experience significant growth, increasing from USD 20.99 Billion in 2025 to USD 38.88 Billion by 2031, representing a CAGR of 10.82%. This market encompasses the digital exchange of food and beverage products among manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and foodservice operators, and is largely driven by a demand for improved operational efficiency and supply chain visibility. Companies are utilizing these platforms to automate procurement and optimize inventory, with FMI - The Food Industry Association noting in 2024 that 69% of food suppliers use artificial intelligence for tasks such as assortment planning and logistics, underscoring the shift toward data-driven operations.

However, the expansion of this market faces a substantial obstacle in the form of complex cold chain logistics. The strict requirement for temperature-controlled transportation to preserve freshness demands expensive infrastructure, resulting in high operational costs that limit scalability for many distributors. Consequently, the challenge of ensuring the timely delivery of perishable goods without compromising quality stands as a critical barrier that businesses must navigate to fully realize the benefits of digital adoption in the sector.

Market Drivers

A primary engine for the Global B2B Online Grocery Market is the rapid digital transformation of small-format stores and traditional retailers, such as independent grocers. These businesses are increasingly migrating to mobile-based B2B ordering platforms to modernize procurement, effectively bypassing legacy wholesale channels to connect directly with manufacturers. This shift allows smaller enterprises to optimize inventory, reduce stockouts, and access wider product assortments with greater agility. Highlighting this trend, Unilever reported in an April 2025 article, "AI and e-commerce tools transform emerging market retail," that its dedicated B2B platform for independent retailers processes 75,000 orders daily and supports annualized sales of €2.5 billion.

Concurrently, major e-commerce players are reshaping the competitive landscape by strategically expanding into wholesale segments to serve corporate clients and foodservice operators. Retail giants are leveraging advanced logistics networks to capture a larger share of the market, a move that is proving effective; Walmart reported a 20% year-over-year increase in U.S. e-commerce sales in its fiscal fourth quarter of 2025, according to SeafoodSource. This reflects a broader industry trend where manufacturers prioritize online channels, as further evidenced by Nestle's February 2025 "Full-Year 2024 Results," which showed organic e-commerce sales growth of 11.3%, accounting for 18.9% of total group sales.

Market Challenges

The complexities associated with cold chain logistics present a formidable barrier to the growth of the Global B2B Online Grocery Market. Unlike non-perishable items, food and beverage products require strict temperature adherence throughout the supply chain to ensure safety and prevent spoilage. This necessity demands specialized infrastructure, such as refrigerated storage and climate-controlled fleets, which significantly increases capital and operational expenditures. As a result, distributors often struggle to expand geographically without incurring prohibitive costs, limiting their ability to scale and effectively serve a wider network of commercial buyers.

Compounding these operational burdens are rising sector-specific costs that directly threaten financial sustainability. The Global Cold Chain Alliance reported that expenses for refrigerated warehouses increased by 6.09% in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year. These escalating financial pressures erode profit margins, making it difficult for B2B platforms to maintain competitive pricing while upholding rigorous quality standards. Consequently, this economic strain forces many businesses to focus on resource consolidation rather than expansion, thereby slowing the overall growth trajectory of the digital grocery sector.

Market Trends

Major food distributors are increasingly adopting sustainable electric vehicle fleets for last-mile logistics to decarbonize their supply chains and manage volatile fuel costs. Driven by corporate sustainability commitments and regulatory pressures, logistics providers are replacing traditional diesel trucks with zero-emission alternatives for urban and regional deliveries. By integrating heavy-duty electric tractors, companies can maintain high-volume reliability while significantly lowering Scope 1 and 2 emissions. For instance, Sysco Corporation announced in a May 2024 press release, "Sysco Celebrates Growth of Electric Fleet," that it had expanded its global fleet to nearly 120 heavy-duty electric vehicles, a strategic investment supporting its climate goal of reducing direct emissions by 27.5%.

Simultaneously, there is a notable shift toward expanding private label and white-label product assortments as foodservice operators seek cost-effective alternatives to mitigate inflationary pressures. Distributors are aggressively scaling their exclusive brands to offer competitively priced, high-quality substitutes for national products, which helps protect margins and deepen loyalty among independent restaurant owners. This strategy allows wholesalers to control pricing dynamics more effectively while offering differentiated value. Performance Food Group highlighted this trend in its August 2024 "Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Fiscal 2024 Results," reporting a 3.7% increase in organic independent foodservice case volume and citing the expansion of private brand penetration as a key growth driver.

Key Players Profiled in the B2B Online Grocery Market

• Walmart Inc.
• Alibaba Group
• Amazon.com, Inc.
• The Kroger Co.
• EC21, Inc.
• eWorldTrade, Inc.
• BigBuy
• 3 Seasons Technology Co., Ltd.
• OKNETTV PTY LTD.
• SeeBiz Inc.

Report Scope

In this report, the Global B2B Online Grocery Market has been segmented into the following categories:

B2B Online Grocery Market, by Product Category:

• Fruits & Vegetables (Raw & Processed)
• Condiments and Seasoning
• Food Grains & Flours
• Bread & Bakery
• Dairy Products
• Meat
• Poultry & Seafood
• Others (Other Snacks & Confectionery
• Beverages
• Others Processed Foods
• etc.)

B2B Online Grocery Market, by Mode of Payment:

• Pre-Delivery Online Payment
• Online Payment on Delivery
• Cash on Delivery

B2B Online Grocery Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global B2B Online Grocery Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.