Progressive Grocer - March 2009 - (Page 56)

Grocery FutureView The center store of the near future is likely to gain new importance by redefining the shopper experience. Magnetic Core dicts Blischok. “The whole shopping model will change. Simplicity in design in shopping will increase loyalty through a much simplified shopping experience.” This may sound a little like science fiction, but it’s a lot closer than many grocers currently realize, and several of today’s emerging trends are pointing the way to this brave new world. For one thing, shoppers’ continuing preoccupation with garnering more information about the food they eat will lead to such items as electronic “smart” labels and signage that will provide detailed data and images related to a given product’s country or region of origin, carbon footprint, nutritional indicators, life cycle, package recyclability, and more. Additionally, bolstered by the increasing popularity of electronic implements such as automated shopping-list devices linked to home refrigerators and pantries, programs such as in-store kiosks and messages sent by the store directly to shoppers’ cell phones or personal e-mail accounts will become commonplace, thereby creating more linkage between shoppers and products than ever before. Lou Cooperhouse, director of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in Bridgeton, N.J., agrees with this greater connection between shopper and product, as well as the creation of differentiated segments addressing various shopper needs. “A progressive store will try to personalize the shopping experience for each shopper” through direct mail, “smarter” use of shopper card data and Internet marketing, he says. Physical displays will also morph to meet this desire for linkage: Blischok forecasts that roomtemperature items and frozen products will be routinely merchandised in the same area, allowing shoppers to conveniently select meal components without having to dash into another section. www.progressivegrocer.com By Bridget Goldschmidt hat will the store core of 2019, and beyond, look like? According to Thom Blischok, president of consulting and innovation at Chicago-based Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), aisles will be a thing of the past. “Things won’t be piled high and wide,” he notes, but instead packaged and displayed innovatively and conveniently, with the idea of allowing more disciplined shoppers to see and reach prod56 • Progressive Grocer • March 2009 W ucts on the shelves more easily. The goal is to move from the current “crowded house” mentality to one of simplicity and customization. Rather than a single section, supermarkets will feature multiple, radiating center stores arranged in pods or islands, and based on such commonalities as lifestyle and health and wellness. A heavy informational component, via labels, signage and the latest technology, both in-store and out, will keep customers apprised of the latest developments concerning the products they depend on. And all of this will go toward creating a highly personalized experience meeting the shopper’s exact specifications. “Shopping will undergo a big shape shift,” preA H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - March 2009

Progressive Grocer - March 2009
Contents
Front End: Ahold Banners Launch 'Major Consumer Wellness Initiative'
Nielsen's Shelf Stoppers/Spotlight: Frozen Foods/One-Food Oriental Entrees
Market Snapshot: Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Independents Report: The New Agenda at FMI - And in Washington
Lempert Report: What Shoppers Will Demand in 2009
Wake-Up Call: Back to the Future
Progressive Views: Looking Forward
Frozen & Refrigerated Trends: Staying Cool
Store of the Month: Straub's Newest Family Member
FutureView Introduction: Great Expectations
Futureview: Magnetic Core
Honey: Sweet Sensation
Organic/Natural Cereal: The New Face of Breakfast Sales
FutureView: Home-Cooked Homecoming
2009 Meat Operations Review: Solid Ground
2009 Seafood Operations Review: Rough Seas
Pharmacy: A Destination for Health
Technology FutureView: Retail 3.0
Equipment FutureView: Sustainable Differentiation
What's Next: Editors' Picks for Innovative Products

Progressive Grocer - March 2009