DoorDash says most SNAP customers ordering from a participating grocery store are new to that store. Regional grocers have an opportunity to turn those first SNAP delivery orders into lasting relationships.
An interesting new DoorDash report suggests that accepting benefits for delivery can put a store in front of customers it hasn’t previously reached… and that declining to offer the option may send those orders to an online competitor.
Across participating stores, about 85% of a store’s SNAP customers on DoorDash were entirely new to that store, according to the company. In a survey accompanying the report, 61% of SNAP/EBT DoorDash consumers said that if the service were unavailable, they would simply shop some different online big-box retailer rather than visit the same store in person.
I think grocery operators should take a beat and carefully consider those big numbers. For a variety of reasons, a store can be in close proximity to a customer’s home and still be out of reach for that customer’s weekly shopping trip.
DoorDash’s survey found that caregiving responsibilities and transportation difficulties were leading reasons respondents used SNAP delivery, cited by 46% and 43%, respectively. More than one-third reported living with a disability or chronic illness. For those households, the only real choice may be between two outfits that deliver, rather than between delivery and physically taking a trip down the street.
DoorDash has built a substantial network around that choice. More than 4.5 million consumers have added SNAP/EBT cards to its app, up from nearly 3 million a year earlier. Almost 75,000 stores now accept SNAP/EBT on the platform, compared with more than 50,000 in June 2025. DoorDash says 99% of U.S. households receiving SNAP benefits have access to at least one participating store. It also announced seven additional grocery partners, including Boyer’s Food Markets in Pennsylvania.
Whether you’re a regional chain or an independent, that reach creates an undeniable opening. A shopper who’s never ordered from a particular store can now find it easily right alongside larger competitors, use their benefits to pay for eligible groceries and have an order brought to their doorstep. That first basket could well become a recurring one if the prices, assortment, substitutions and delivery experience hold up.
Here’s the Grain of Salt with SNAP Delivery
But let’s be clear: “new to the store” is not the same as incremental profit. The report (which is nevertheless well worth reading) doesn’t establish whether those shoppers become regular customers, how much of their monthly spend a store captures or whether the orders are profitable after picking and other fulfillment costs. Likewise, the 61% figure records what surveyed consumers said they would do without the service, not what a store actually lost to a big-box rival.
Affordability deserves some skeptical scrutiny, too. Right now, a lot is in flux – the regulatory landscape is something like a desert of shifting sands… or a minefield. The SNAP rolls themselves are falling sharply. As it stands now, USDA rules don’t allow SNAP benefits to pay delivery fees or other associated charges. A household might very well value the time and transportation saved while still facing a higher total cost at checkout. It’s critical that grocers trying to win this business understand what a full basket costs online, how often customers reorder and whether promotions make delivery practical throughout the month.
DoorDash says 83% of surveyed consumers find it easier to manage their food budget using SNAP/EBT on the platform, while 81% say it helps their groceries last the full month. Those are useful accounts of customers’ experiences, but the research surveyed more than 1,000 people who already use SNAP/EBT on DoorDash. It can’t tell us whether delivery produces the same results for SNAP households that haven’t adopted it.
The competitive point remains tough to dismiss. The trade has spent years trying to make its digital storefront as dependable as its physical one. SNAP delivery extends that test to shoppers for whom getting to a store can be the central obstacle. The grocer that figures it out may earn a customer it never had… while the grocer that leaves the order to someone else may never see that shopper at all.