The Trends Driving the Grocery Space
Standing out in the grocery space means staying one step ahead to stand out with consumers, build brand loyalty, and drive sales. After our series of webinars this summer, and our recent trip to Groceryshop the Shockoe team sat down to recap the biggest trends we see driving the grocery industry right now, and the smart ways leaders are staying in front of them.
Navigating first-party data
At this point, first-party data feels like the holy grail of the grocery industry. Everyone needs it, and no one is sure how to get it, especially with newer restrictions for access to personal identifying data, email opens, and cookie restrictions. First-party data, data direct from the consumers, opens up the view of a customer, filling in gaps on who they are and how they shop. With the right first-party data, brands can better address marketplace needs. One way to collect the data you need? A strong mobile experience that incentivizes consumers to engage with your brand. You can gain a lot of insight just by capturing their mobile activity and shopping preferences.
The re-emergence of mobile app spending
Ten years ago simply having a presence in the app store might have been enough for your customers. But just like the internet evolved so too has the mobile space. We’re hearing from brands across the grocery space that their apps aren’t meeting consumer needs anymore or are not providing the same engaging experiences as their competitors. A mobile app refresh is critical to maintaining brand loyalty and ensuring your digital presence aligns with your brand. Partnering with a team like ours means an impactful strategy and a fast turnaround to wow your customers quickly, just like we did for Winn-Dixie.
Unified shopping experiences are here to stay
The push towards a unified shopping experience is picking up momentum in the grocery space. Consumers expect a seamless and intuitive experience that easily moves from the phone to the store without interruption. Whether that’s order pickups, creating a grocery list and navigating the store, or checking inventory grocery leaders are investing heavily in the tools and solutions that support the best unified shopping experiences. That’s why it’s critical to work with a team that knows how to connect the dots and take advantage of each channel’s unique value to develop the best omni-channel experience for your customers.
Adapting to the evolving customer
The way consumers shop in the grocery space is different than the rest of retail. There’s a focus on speed and convenience, consumers need quick access to products. This coupled with an increase in value-based shoppers means grocers need to think creatively to develop intuitive solutions that meet the needs of their diverse customers. The right features and overlays based on a strong discovery phase can ensure a measurable impact with shoppers.
AI – hype or reality?
At GroceryShop 2023 and in nearly every conversation people want to talk about AI, but while other industries are ready to rush ahead, the grocery space remains skeptical, looking for the right use cases to make the investment. Our team sees value not just in AI for our clients, but in the way we can use generative AI to develop apps quickly, saving you time and cost.
We’ll dive into each trend in future blogs to share more ways to stand out and optimize your user experience. In the meantime no matter where you are in your digital journey in the grocery space having a trusted partner that can support your team and goals means you’ll create the change you need quickly. At Shockoe, our full-service team of experts knows the grocery space inside and out and we’re ready to create measurable impact for you. Contact our team today to get started.
