More than five million Australian grocery buyers — or 31% of the nation's grocery buyers — would consider buying groceries online in the next year, up over 800,000 from a year ago, according to newly published research.

Consumers have been enjoying the benefits of online shopping for years. The flexibility, availability of customer reviews, personalised offerings and product suggestions based on past purchase behaviours are only a few of the perks thatmake online shopping more appealing than brick-and-mortar retail stores.

Fulfillment centres are now under extreme pressure to deliver orders faster,efficiently and more accurately. Customer expectations continue to grow astronomically with e-commerce giants leading the way with same-day delivery and free return policies.