5 Trends Grocers Should Pay Attention To Right Now
As we venture further into 2024, 84.51°, the retail data science, insights and media arm of The Kroger Co., is taking a look at current food retail trends that reflect rising customer expectations and a massive technology evolution.
According to the company, retailers and brands that are paying attention to these trends and can adapt to the new customer reality will be best positioned to drive relevance and growth.
The five trends include:
Holistic Health: This is an increasing priority amidst the demographic shift toward an older population and younger generations placing a higher emphasis on wellbeing. Expect health to take on a more comprehensive definition as customers strive for well-being across physical, emotional, and financial aspects of their lives. Brands can help consumers achieve their holistic health goals by focusing on personalization and convenience.
Engaging Experience: Customers want to feel welcome, with a store layout that’s easy to navigate. Based on an 84.51 Real Time Insights Survey, 38% of shoppers would be interested in smart carts that calculate the cost of groceries in real time and allow you to skip check-out. Some 33% are interested in more taste-testing stations and product demonstrations. Brands can create immersive experiences that provide customized recommendations and real-time saving opportunities.
Flexible Shopping: Shoppers want an increase in speed and flexibility to accommodate different shopping preferences and modalities. When it comes to substitution methods, 43% of shoppers prefer to choose the substitution themselves, and 28% prefer a substitution of the same product but in a different size of packaging. Some 79% of customers expect prices to be the same for in-store and online shopping, and 79% expect the same for coupons. Brands should look for underserved customer populations whose core needs are unmet to build long-term loyalty.
Personal and Curated: There are growing opportunities to deliver personalized and curated experiences at scale thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technologies, and integrating those into the shopping experience is crucial.
Simple and Efficient: Shoppers want speed, privacy and accuracy. Brands should leverage data, technology and service innovations to proactively simplify tasks from recipe planning and shopping to checking out and making a meal for a seamless experience.
A full infographic detailing these trends is available online.
