Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021 - 12

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years
The equipment innovations have made it much easier for instore
bakeries to bring new workers on board, he added, a fact that could not
be more important in today's tight-labor environment.
Instore delis have similarly benefited from technological upgrades of
ovens and other equipment in recent decades, Richard said. Stovetop
ovens, for instance, have transformed the deli from a department that
as recently as the 90s was known mainly for deli meats and cheeses
and sides to one that now rivals many restaurants for the quality of its
retail foodservice offerings.
" In order to prepare all those foods you have to have the right
equipment, " Richard said.
Creating experiences
There's a fine line between helping consumers via technology and
giving them too much, but Stein is confident that retailers will continue
to find the right balance. A shopper who has downloaded their retailer's
app will start to get messages as soon as they enter their store, and they
can use that information to guide them to exactly the kinds of things
they're likely to purchase.
" That becomes an experience - they don't look at it as being
inundated with technology, they like it. It may help them find not only
the exact ingredients they want for the meal they're cooking that night,
but also how to use their leftovers to avoid food waste. "
In FMI's latest round of Speaks industry surveys, retailers told the
association that they plan on expanding their retail foodservice
operations, and that technology will be a key to helping them do so.
And it's not just about dinner anymore, Stein said -consumers are also
looking for breakfast and lunch options.
For decades, grocery stores didn't have the same incentives as
other industries to embrace technology, Stein said. That was because
supermarkets always enjoyed a strong labor market. They didn't need to
automate like the garment, automobile industries did.
Those days are over.
" Everything converged at once to motivate our retailers to think of
technology as a fundamental underpinning, and now we're seeing a
lot of advancement. And when the supermarket industry puts its mind
to doing something, it gets it done, and done better than most other
industries. I think of technology as a fundamental foundation that
runs through all of our business. The business is going to advance,
new technologies are going to come, and supermarkets are poised to
embrace more than they ever have in the past. "
The very floor plans of instore departments have also benefited from
technological upgrades, Richard said. For one thing, they're easy to
maneuver in given the advent of smaller, more efficient cases that come
in a variety of sizes to fit the appropriate spaces.
" In the past, when you had giant bulky cases to walk around, it
made it difficult to browse, " he said. " And the lighting in the cases
has improved so much. It used to be you had no idea what you were
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Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021

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