Efforts to induce customers to buy groceries through the Internet have existed for around twenty years. Early on, the market structures of the digital grocery trade were still strongly fragmented and poorly coordinated. Due to the technological advancement in the past decade, the digital purchase of groceries has become more attractive. The adoption rate of these services varies greatly between different regions. In Germany in particular, the digital grocery trade is stagnating at a comparatively low level. In this regard, this dissertation analyzes both the retail-side market structures and the expectations and obstacles of German consumers. The year 2020 connotes a turning point for the online grocery trade, as daily routines such as grocery shopping were subject to strict regulations imparted at a governmental level in order to reduce COVID-19 infections. At the same time, despite this opportunity, the digital grocery trade has not yet established itself nationwide in Germany. This can be attributed to a lack of investments, but also to inadequate digitization measures. A stronger synchronization between the digital and stationary offer, better integration of digital food services at a regional level as well as adapted, target group-appropriate digital solutions for the efficient breakdown of usage barriers will benefit service usage. The importance of stable food chains and distribution channels was illustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research should help to develop the digital food trade into a stable and sustainable supplementation of the stationary store.