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Report: Grocery shoppers want convenience and fresh
Ease increasingly influences shopping decisions, presenting a growth opportunity for grocery retailers, according to a new report from Deloitte
Supermarket News Staff
September 10, 2024
2 Min Read
Over half (52%) of shoppers say they value convenience now more than they did in the past.Getty Images
Deloitte’s latest report on fresh food, “A Fresh (Food) Take on Grocery Convenience,” examines how grocers are navigating a new wave of change that is challenging their conventional business models. Stressors include emerging forms of competition, rising shopper expectations, and tightening consumer wallets. The report outlines how grocers can win a bigger “share-of-stomach” by bringing fresh and convenience together.
Key findings include:
Grocers recognize the value of fresh food. As most consumers (90%) say fresh food makes them happy, more than half (52%) of grocery executives expect fresh to be their most strategically important department over the next one to three years
In the battle of fresh vs. convenience, ease wins. Over half (52%) of shoppers say they value convenience now more than they did in the past. Grocers understand this growing value of convenience, as 85% say they are making significant investments to increase it
Conveniences cultivates competition. Grocers are concerned about competition from internet grocery stores (56%) and third-party shopping apps (53%). However, consumer data shows that restaurants and dollar stores may be bigger competitors than grocers give them credit for
Menu planning presents opportunity. 53% of consumers say figuring out “what’s for dinner” is one of their major pain points, and 44% agree they would regularly buy from a grocery store that could help them with meal planning
Technology cooks up solutions. Grocers are growing more optimistic about GenAI, as twice as many say the technology has potential to make a significant financial contribution (80% in 2024, compared to 40% in 2023). Many see meal planning as one of the first “killer applications” of the technology, and two-thirds (65%) are increasing investments in GenAI
The report is based on two Deloitte surveys fielded in May and June 2024. The first surveyed 100 U.S.-based grocery retail executives from organizations with at least $1 billion in annual revenue. The second surveyed 2,000 U.S. consumers.
