Human Learnings and Consumer Insights around Grocery Store Trends

This is part 3 of my mini-series on supermarket trends to watch out for - this time focusing on the kinds of skills that will be needed and the insights that data will provide.

Media Competency

It’s no longer enough for market managers to know how to manage the fresh produce, wrangle the ordering system and deal with the preferences of their local customers. Increasingly, they also need to have a certain level of digital media competency as well as running a supermarket, especially a franchised one, becomes ever more complex.

As more shoppers move towards a hybrid experience then it’s necessary to understand how to do digital marketing by mastering online ads, as well as storytelling for social media and SEO. On top of all that, any store manager should probably also have at least a grounding in the basics of crisis management, for the event that a consumer decides to take to the internet with a complaint.

Better Informed Consumers

It’s never been so easy for consumers to find information about products, the companies who produce them and the possible alternatives. This is changing customer’s expectations of their local supermarket and younger consumers are less likely to rely on the store’s staff for advice about their products and more on what they can find online. (Hence one of the reasons for the increased importance of digital media knowledge in stores).

Personalised Nutrition

I’m seeing more and more people investing in DNA testing and blood analysis to gain deeper understanding of their health issues. The results of those tests and the subsequent food tracking are leading to personalised food recommendations.

This means that families are endeavouring to improve their health and longevity by careful selection of their nutrition and that is going to have an impact on supermarkets, especially as it becomes more common.

Right now, at least in Europe, most of the products which cater specifically to this market are not in the mainstream supermarkets, but as the lines between online and offline shopping blur, you can expect these kinds of tailored products to become more mainstream.

Experiential Shopping

2 divergent trends for the future? Increasingly unmanned supermarkets whilst at the same time, human connection and engagement becomes ever more valuable and consumers are looking for experiences. Does that mean that stores will have to become more flexible in their business models?

Could supermarkets increasingly become venues for other types of events such as wine tasting or cooking classes?

To what extent should store planners be considering flexible concepts for shelving and store design for future projects?

It’s clear that hybrid is here to stay so it will be important to find solutions to maximise use of the supermarket space.

Which of These Trends Do You See Already?

Obviously, these kinds of trends will affect different geographies in different ways, depending on how consumers are open for new evolutions.

Post pandemic it’s not just Asia putting an increased focus on health and wellness – populations have realised that you can’t buy health and therefore need to take care of both your physical and mental wellbeing, which also has consequences for supermarkets, their business models and the products they will be selling. Especially when you consider the aspects of personalised experiences becoming increasingly important.

And it’s my firm belief that the online to offline (O2O) integration will be increased wherever in the world you’re working. For international supermarket chains, that will mean continuing to learn how the markets work in the various markets (& not just assuming that everything will work in the same way as at home). Yes, digital shopping experiences are going to be a key to the future but it’s clear for now that tangible physical experiences still matter so the brick and mortar space still has a reason to exist.

Of course, these are just predictions, based on some of the ideas I see being tried out around the world. Some exist in some markets already, whilst others are more concepts...

Let me know which ones you believe will most impact your markets!

#kExplains #InternationalBusiness #FoodAndBeverages

If you would like to read more long form content and get a free ebook on selecting the right international market for your company sign up at the link in the comments below.