3 Consumer Trends that Grocery Retailers Need to Address
Say goodbye to the coupon-clipping, Sunday shoppers of the past. Today’s consumers have no time for that. They are on-the-go but also on a budget, while trying to eat healthier and be sustainable. Let’s unpack some ways grocery stores are responding to these desires.
1. Grocery Pick-up
In order to compete with the immediacy of Amazon’s Prime Now, national and regional grocery chains have stepped up with curbside grocery pick-up services. With just a few clicks, you can fill your virtual shopping cart and checkout—saving precious time and frustration navigating in and out of aisles. Additionally, selecting brands and items consumers are already familiar with allows them to stick to their budgets and diets. Big box retailers are in a position to reap the benefits of this $35 billion market — with Walmart leading the way.
2. Fresh, Ready-to-eat Meals and Meal Kits
Consumers are looking for more nutritious options that are easy to prepare. variety and placing increased emphasis on locally-sourced items. Grocery retailers have responded with more grab and go healthy food options and by displaying the ingredients to popular recipes conveniently all together in a merchandise display to make shopping more convenient. Texas grocery store chain HEB has Meal Simple, their own line of “chef-inspired meals” while Florida-based Publix offers three types of meal kits within their Aprons brand—simple, simpler, simplest—distinguished by the ease of the meal’s preparation.
3. Saying “No” to Plastic
The case against single-use plastics has made its way into a grocery store near you. Fueled by a generation that views climate change as “an existential threat,” states and municipalities have responded by discouraging or banning plastic bags outright. Grocery retailers, along with other brands focused on sustainability, have taken notice. Kroger, the nation’s largest grocery chain, announced earlier this year that it will phase out plastic bags in all of its stores by 2025. Other grocers will surely follow suit as competition for environmentally conscious consumers grows.
As grocery retailers continue to adapt to meet the needs of the next generation of shoppers, we look forward to helping brands Market Smarter with POP print and design solutions that drive in-store sales.
