During the COVID-19 pandemic, few activities became more fraught than food shopping. Ask anyone and chances are, they have a story about braving the supermarket only to find long lines and barren shelves or staying up past midnight in the hope that new inventory might refresh online.
As the pandemic recedes and shoppers chart a new normal, it should come as no surprise that many of the changes revolve around certainty. Shoppers want to know ahead of time whether the products they need are in stock. They want fast checkouts to avoid being packed into slow-moving lines. And they want contactless QR experiences to aid in product discovery. Winning in a new era of hybrid shopping means upgrading the store experience to prioritise community, ease and joy.
People want greater transparency surrounding stock availability
People took reliable supply chains for granted before the pandemic. But with empty shelves no longer an unusual sight, consumers are demanding greater transparency from supermarkets when it comes to the availability of products. In fact, constantly out-of-stock products are among the top five consumer pain points when shopping in shops.1
There's an opportunity for shops to upgrade their inventory systems so that customers know exactly what's in stock before they venture out. A selection of UK supermarkets, for example, allow shoppers to remotely check the stock of their local shop online through an app, avoiding unnecessary trips. Even as the threat of COVID-19 subsides, consumers will continue to prioritise brands that show adaptability in the face of supply chain disruptions and keep customers in the loop about stock availability. These types of improvements demonstrate an additional level of care for the customer, helping brands build trust.
Scannable touchpoints help inform customer choices
Technology not only brings convenience and efficiency to the in-store environment, it can also help spark joy with personalised product recommendations and informative displays. Indeed, 31% of shoppers say that creating an enjoyable in-store browsing experience is the main driver behind an unplanned purchase.2
QR codes are poised to play a key role in the supermarket of the future, allowing shoppers to access much more detailed product information than can be displayed on a single label. As people become more conscious of their carbon footprints, for instance, QR codes are already being used to share information related to a product's sourcing and eco credentials. A Chinese supermarket chain is also leveraging digital touchpoints to elevate the in-store shopping experience through the use of its app. By simply scanning a product's barcode, customers are greeted with personalised recommendations and pairings based on their purchase history and taste preferences. These types of tech-assisted additions will play a fundamental role in the supermarket of the future, helping to elevate the in-store shopping experience by assisting customers to make more informed and personalised choices.
Alleviating long wait times is a top customer priority
Long wait times are a key pain point of the supermarket experience, especially amid the ongoing global pandemic. Indeed, 32% of food shoppers surveyed reported that long checkout lines are their top pain point when shopping in shops.3 As such, supermarkets are finding ways to speed up the shopping experience. A number of tech-forward supermarket chains have started to do away with the checkout process entirely, leveraging cameras, weight sensors and facial recognition to charge people for products digitally after they walk out of the shop. Others are taking a blended approach that integrates tech-enabled efficiency with human assistance to get shoppers out of the shop more quickly.
The rise of contactless pick-up presents a fresh challenge to shoppers. With 66% of food shoppers across markets using at least one type of omnichannel pick-up or collection method4, supermarkets increasingly double as fulfilment centres. This is placing added pressure on staff to deliver speedy services to all customers. In order to keep wait times to a minimum, a number of shops are relying on automation, with one leading US retailer investing in an automated, 20,000-square-foot warehouse to assemble online orders, which are then delivered to customers' cars by staff. Meanwhile, the establishment of micro fulfilment centres throughout urban neighbourhoods is enabling brands to deliver orders in as little as 15 minutes.