How Modern Food Retailers Are Disrupting Traditional Grocery Stores

The grocery store has always been a staple of modern life. The style, content, and the sheer amount of options has changed dramatically, but the overall format has remained the same. That is, until recently. The internet of things has already managed to threaten traditional grocery stores in the interest of a better customer experience. And with modern food retailers popping up all the time, this trend promises to pick up speed rather than slowing down.

Here is how modern food retailers are disrupting traditional grocery stores.

Meal kits eliminate waste

These days, individuals and families are all looking for the best meal kit delivery service. Rather than spending hours shopping for ingredients, finding recipes, chopping veggies, and only then cooking your meal, you can get the first three steps done for you. Your meal kit will come complete with everything you need, including the simple recipe, according to how many people you want to feed.

Obviously, these meal kits lead to less money spent at grocery stores. But even if traditional grocery stores get in on the action – as may well be necessary for their survival – there is another “problem” for them. Food that goes to waste accounts for a major proportion of money spent at grocery stores. People buy perishables they don't use every time they do a grocery run.

Eliminating food waste is crucial not only for consumers’ pockets, but for the environment as well. However, it is yet another challenge the traditional grocery store will have to rise to.

Online shopping decreases impulse buys

Online grocery shopping presents customers with a much more effective way of acquiring groceries. It is obviously very attractive as you don’t have to leave the house, you can easily search for products rather than walking up and down aisles, and you can more easily compare different products to find the best option.

Many traditional grocery stores have gotten on board with online shopping, either creating their own websites and apps or partnering with existing apps. However, they still find themselves worse off for online shopping.

The experience of walking up and down aisles is now a reason for consumers to avoid grocery stores, but it used to serve an important purpose to the stores. Customers would see products that weren’t on their lists and buy them on impulse.

With online shopping that is much less likely. You may come across attractive products that you had not known you wanted, but they're less appealing when not right in front of you. Furthermore, they can be completely avoided if you simply search for exactly what you need. And grocery stores have typically made their aisles a little more difficult to navigate in order to expose customers to as many different products as possible.

The consumer benefits – they're able to save money and stick more closely to a nutrition plan. Online shopping gets yet another selling point. But traditional grocery stores get the short end of the stick.

The next few years will be pivotal for many grocery stores, whether small corner stores or large supermarkets. They need to rise to the challenge of providing customers with the benefits of modern retailers while recouping their inevitable losses in more innovative ways.