The future supermarket

The landscape of supermarkets and retail stores is under a massive revolution. Gone are the days when people used to travel long distances to a supermarket, stand in long queues, and carry cash with them for payment, which sometimes would run short and leave them in embarrassing situations. The face of the supermarket is changing to make the shopping experience a comfortable and seamless one. The amalgamation of technology, digital innovations, and increased focus on better customer satisfaction has a vital role to play in it.  

The eCommerce boom in the industry does not discourage the brick and mortar stores; instead, the latter try to include interesting and digitally-efficient techniques in their stores. Supermarkets are also adopting ways to enhance their backend operations, such as better supply chain, stock replenishment, or employee scheduling.  

It is interesting to notice that brick and mortar supermarkets are trying to expand their operations by creating a unique blend of advantages offered by online and offline businesses. Right from the physical appearance of the store to customer experience to in-store management, a rightward shift in the way supermarkets operate has been changing.  

There are a plethora of trends taken up by supermarkets, and a few more trends are expected in the upcoming times that will give you a glimpse of the future of supermarkets. Below we have mentioned a few of them: 

Six trends that will shape the future of supermarket  

1. Artificial intelligence for personalized customer experience

Many supermarkets have started to include artificial intelligence in their brick-and-mortar stores that enhances and eases the shopping experience for customers. Collaborating with companies that can aid in AI-laden features will reap you many benefits while being a one-time investment. Advanced information and analytics can help you predict what customers want.  

One can turn their shelves into digital displays that light up as soon as a customer comes near. The sensors attached can track the customer’s needs and inform the employees about it so that if the product is not available, it can be replenished. Artificial

intelligence can also help the supermarket harness information from the customers that can be used to deliver a customized and personal experience using the supermarket point of sale. 

2. Interesting events, classes, or pop-ups 

One of the challenging tasks for any retailer is to increase engagement and keep the customers in the store for a longer time. According to a study, the supermarkets who invested in strategies to get shoppers to linger in stores for a long time were able to shoot up their sales 2-fold.  

Organizing special events and experiences like cooking classes or baking classes can attract customers and drive footfalls. This initiative can combine two sets of resources, which creates a unique experience. Partnership with other brands or companies can also boost engagement.  

For example- you can let an ice-cream manufacturer set up a small ice-cream parlor with interesting offers or set up an in-house bakery and bake fresh bread and muffins in front of the customers to keep them in the store for a longer time. 

3. Helping in product discovery  

It is predicted that the display will show the latest trends across various products and other important information related to a healthy lifestyle, cooking styles, or various ingredients and dishes. This will help the customers in finding the right food and getting inspiration while they shop. Check out our article on supermarket visual merchandising to know more about the importance of product display. 

This will enrich the supermarket’s standing as a provider of great shopping experience and result in a positive brand reputation for the store. Supermarkets might also experiment with color-coding,

special areas that bring together foods, or exciting displays that can tap into an existing trend like house parties, vegan lifestyle, or healthy and traditional family dishes.

4. Focusing on the environment and sustainability  

As awareness regarding nature, its conservation, and protection are on a rise, customers look forward to shopping in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly atmosphere. Many stores across the world are already offering a greener alternative, that is, by not selling food in packages and instead encouraging them to get their packaging to reduce the toll of plastic on nature. This can be easily done if customers get their containers, and then the products can be simply weighed and given to them.  

5. A blend of hybrid concepts  

Exploring and implementing new concepts related to the supermarket and home delivery activities will be the key to boost sales in the future. Many supermarkets are already exploring new ideas like setting up dining concepts, which offer menus curated by a local chef using products available inside the supermarket.  

This allows the customers to enjoy the food as well as take inspiration from it and buy those ingredients to try the dishes at home along with their regular grocery shopping. As a retailer, one must always explore and value new experiences to operate beyond the pre-established and confined boundaries. 

6. Advanced home delivery 

Home delivery is no more a secret tool for increasing customer attraction. However, the way in which delivery is done, its importance becomes crucial for the business. The feature of the best home delivery can be cost-intensive and eats a major chunk of profit margins. Therefore, adopting such a model that can provide not only best-in-class services to customers but also is profitable for your supermarket is important.  

 A few final thoughts 

The future of supermarkets looks bright and attractive. You must plan to adopt any of the above-mentioned trends in the near future and take steps forward to implement them in harmony with your business requirements and growth stage. The expectations of consumers are changing, and it’s important to keep pace with it.  

It is important to understand that while all of these ideas seem interesting to adopt, some or all might not work for your supermarket. Nonetheless, if one idea does not work, you must still keep trying and analyzing every idea to select the right one. As the future opens its gate to many opportunities, you must brace yourself to adapt to these changes and make your place amidst the stiff competition.