Finnish retailer K Group surveyed over 60 grocery trade experts, to create an idea of what food shopping could look like in the next ten years.
The 'store of the future' would combine the best features of both physical and online grocery stores, according to K Group, including 24-hour pick up of groceries bought online, restaurant-quality food, nutritional advice, and shopping trips tailored to the needs of each individual customer.
"People will not come to a store to wander around the aisles," said Ari Akseli, president of K Group's grocery trade division.
"All technological solutions that can help people in deciding what to buy and make shopping faster will be utilised, leaving room for the customers to get inspired.”
Retail Vision
In particular, K Group anticipates that the food stores of the future will have prominent fresh food sections, as well as offering services, such as car maintenance or nutritional advice, and a focus on online sales and the collection of orders.
It also says that the line between a store and a restaurant will become blurred, as shops offer ready or pre-prepared restaurant-quality food, and artisinal and premium products will continue to be valued.
Meanwhile, customers will increasingly make choices based on their own values, with regards to sustainability, nutritional value, organic or loyal origin, suitability for special diets, or a pre-determined budget, for example.
“People’s personal goals, hopes and values will increasingly influence their shopping decisions," added Heidi Jungar, customer insight director for K Group's grocery trade.
"We must become even better at providing opportunities and targeted content for making individual choices.”
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
