More than half of U.S. adults claim they really enjoy cooking (53%) and more than a third consider the kitchen to be the most important room in the home (35%), according to “Eating Trends: Cooking & Food Shopping,” a report published by Packaged Facts, Rockville, Md. These percentages are up compared to a decade ago. 

The study found that most people who don’t cook at home either have a lack of time to grocery shop and meal prep or they lack confidence in their cooking skills. The latter reason is especially prevalent among Gen Z adults (ages 18-24), and to a lesser extent, Millennials (ages 25-39). 

Meal kits and online grocery services prove to be time savers for aspiring home cooks. Since 2013, online sales of groceries have more than tripled from $6 billion to $20 billion in 2018 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26%. Through 2023, online grocery sales are forecast to rise 34% annually, more than quadrupling from the levels in 2018 and coming to represent 7% of the total grocery market, according to Packaged Facts.

Worth watching in coming years will be how grocers and food retailers capitalize on contextual commerce (also known as connected commerce, voice commerce or conversational commerce). Contextual commerce offers consumers options ranging from buy buttons to messaging bots and voice assistants to scan-and-bag apps. With contextual commerce, consumers have the opportunity to make purchases anytime or anywhere with a button click or just their voices.