The one-size-fits-all approach to your customers no longer works in today’s grocery store environment. For example the rise in demand for restaurant-quality, fresh prepared foods and in-store experiences has started to drive the concept of what is called a grocerant. It is an example of how consumers’ expectations are motivating stores to invest in redesigning their environment & offering.
The Rise Of The Grocerant
Many millennials are health conscious and are turning away from unhealthy fast food and looking for alternatives that offer freshness and high quality. Wealthy millennials who can afford to pay premium prices would rather spend more for better nutrition (as evidenced by the growth of the ‘new chain of stores, 365 by Whole Foods Markets’ in the US).
Instead of spending lunch breaks at a restaurant or café with full service, many millennials want to be in control of how and what they consume, including speed-of-service. Self-service has thus become more and more popular.
Refining The In-Store Experience
Delivery services and greater mobile accessibility means that millennials have many options for ordering online, be they food delivery, clothing or electronics. Giving millennials the in-store experience they crave is thus more important than ever, if you wish to coax millennials offline and into your store.
Increasing in-store dining and the greater availability of takeaway pre-prepared food at major grocery stores is an oppourtunity to meet millennial expectations. In a world of ‘always on, always available,’ chain stores can no longer afford to offer a less comprehensive in-store experience than competitors.
Variety, Freshness And Quality: Three Keys To Winning Millenials
Customers are also seeking grocery chains that offer in-store dining options because they can enjoy variety, freshness and quality with the additional power of self-service. These three qualities should be strongly considered by those in grocery store industry.
In a global village, customers expect variety (which is why many major clothing store chains now host multiple international brands). Freshness of both edible goods and freshness of design (featuring up-to-date seasonality) is also key. Today’s consumers are willing to pay more when higher quality is assured, and experiencing quality is an important process in the customer’s journey from first contact to sale.