Personalization key to retailers’ future: Report

Supermarkets should consider rewarding shoppers for purchasing more healthful foods, providing more transparency and information about the products they carry, and making the shopping experience more convenient through technology and store design.

Those are among the conclusions of a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers that is scheduled to be presented this week at Food Marketing Institute’s FMI Connect conference in Chicago.

The report, “Front of the line: How grocers can get ahead for the future,” also found that shoppers want their shopping experience to be more personalized, and they want more control over their loyalty rewards.

Sabina Saksena

“Shoppers are saying they want their supermarket to know ‘who I am and what I want,’”  said Sabina Saksena, managing director, PwC, in an interview with SN. “Personalization is key. Retailers have to start thinking about data-driven insights.”

For example, of the 1,000-plus shoppers surveyed for the report, nearly 60% said they see custom coupons as the best way to simplify their future shopping. Shoppers also want more control over their loyalty-program rewards, with 83% saying they would like more flexibility in how they earn and spend points.

Another key finding in the report was the fact that the brick-and-mortar supermarket “is here to stay,” said Saksena, citing the low acceptance of online grocery shopping — only 1% of respondents said online shopping is their primary source for groceries, while 92% have access to the service. Only 5% of respondents cited online shopping among their top three shopping options for the future.

The report is scheduled to be presented as part of the Retail Experience of the Future at FMI Connect on Wednesday.