Lessons in the Leaves

Tasseography is the age-old practice of “reading” or, more precisely, interpreting the patterns of tea leaves in a cup to derive deeper meanings and/or a greater understanding of unforeseen issues on the horizon. It thus seemed only natural to choose a mystical theme for our year-end issue, for which we petitioned an array of industry prognosticators to provide a glimpse of what they foresee further transforming the grocery globe in 2019 and beyond.

For the record, I’ve learned more about the practice of reading tea leaves preparing for our December issue than I’d care to admit, and am thus compelled to share a bit more about the significance of why we went all in with tasseography as our central design theme for our year-end edition. As opposed to speculative fortune-telling, tasseography speaks directly to its overarching symbolism as a contemplative device to stimulate the imagination, broaden perspectives, confirm intuitions and unlock creative thinking for approachable problem-solving.

With that, the various topics explored within the pages of our cover story touch on a variety of intriguing predictions, which not only provide ample food for thought but also lay the next layer of groundwork for enhanced collaboration between food retailers and brand makers and marketers. While there are common threads running through several, such as the next frontiers of e-commerce, data mining, personalization, robotics and BOPUS (buy online, pick up in-store), other retail prophets offer glimpses into new realms of frictionless experiences, location-based marketing, online marketplaces and the transformative role AI is poised to play for promotions, forecasting, store operations and more.

Beyond our futuristic forecast, our December 2018 issue also includes a multitude of here-and-now content designed to help our readers better succeed in the year ahead. Additional inspired wisdom abounds in our monthly signature features, such as Breakroom, where e-commerce veteran Scott DeGraeve swings by for a visit with Jon Springer; our Annual Meat Report, helmed by Natalie Taylor; an egg-cellent assessment by Rebekah Marcarelli of one of the refrigerated category’s most appealing segments; and Endcap, featuring B&R Stores’ President Pat Raybould. Much to our chagrin, Pat’s sister and fellow B&R exec, Jane Raybould, was unsuccessful in her recent bid for a U.S. Senate seat in their home state of Nebraska. Had the election gone the other way, Jane would have been the nation’s first woman grocer to serve as a federal lawmaker, so it’s my hope that she stays the course to fulfill her calling.

On a closing prophetic note, while I don’t foresee the Green Bay Packers making an appearance at the upcoming Super Bowl at this stage of the season, the legendary Wisconsin NFL team’s esteemed quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, provided my most memorable and inspiring quote of 2018 during his keynote at the IDDBA Show in June. While declaring that “Complacency is unacceptable” and “Joy is the end goal,” Rogers sealed the motivational deal with three simple words: “I like winning.”

We do, too, and it’s been a true pleasure watching our brand take flight while reflecting on the many extraordinary people, places and industry events we’ve had the great good fortune to be a part of in 2018. On behalf of the entire Winsight Grocery Business team, we extend our very best wishes for an invigorating, joyful and highly successful 2019!