Shopping online may still be a ways away, although my brother-in-law uses Amazon to purchase toilet paper, paper towel, and laundry detergent. Ordering with a personal shopper to hand pick items and deliver seems to be a waste of money in my mind, but some markets will begin testing curbside pickup of groceries ordered online. I enjoy the service at Applebee’s with my carryout, so I suppose I would enjoy for my milk and eggs.
Going digital continues to rise among grocery outlets. Kroger, for example, not only has its “Kroger Card” that you achieve savings by signing up and only having to enter in your phone number, but you can also load coupons to your account that will also be taken off at the register. Now that millennials are buying houses and starting families, the amount of time spent eating out will decrease and spending on groceries will increase, so will need to keep up with the younger crowd.
Downsizing stores to go back to an original grocery store as it was intended to could be the next phase in grocery retail. Giant retail stores such as Meijer and Walmart can be overwhelming, especially if you do not want to spend your entire day browsing the whole store and buying unnecessary items when you only wanted the food staples. With urban areas growing and space getting more and more limited, the small market will see a rise, being able to keep up with busy city life by running in and out.
In-store entertainment is a great way to enhance the shopping experience. Costco on the weekends will have plenty of samples at the front of many aisles, serving as lunch for someone like myself who frequents most of the stands. Supermarkets are also now testing special events such as cooking demonstrations and wine tasting to lure customers not only to shop and its location, but also return.
Think you go crazy for the smell of fresh food when you shop, well stop in an on-site restaurant. Cantoro’s Italian Market in Plymouth, Michigan has a full restaurant on site where you can dine and experience their authentic Italian cuisine on the patio during the summer months, or in its casual friendly atmosphere inside with a fully stocked bar of wines, beer, espressos, and cappuccinos. Due to the typical wait times, this may be a leading trend in 2016.
