Trends creating the supermarket of the future

Technical innovations online and in-store and shifting consumer demands will re-shape the supermarket of the future. And that future is approaching fast. Bjorn Thumas, Director Business Development Food at TOMRA Food, looks at what can be expected.

In his article Bjorn explains that revolutionary changes are coming to supermarkets and they will be spread throughout the food industry supply chain. Analyzing recent tendencies, rising customers’ expectations, market researches he shares that during the next decade the global grocery e-commerce market is forecast to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 13.5%, from an annual value of €43 billion today to €135 billion by 2025. Global growth in food e-commerce will be driven by Asia.

“Widespread food shopping online and fast deliveries to customers’ front doors will be just the beginning of the new world. Computer codes and algorithms will also enable supermarkets to personalize their offering to customers” – believes Mr. Thumas. And ads that food shoppers will develop higher expectations and a more critical eye when buying fresh fruit or vegetables. More will want to know how fresh the produce is, middle-class people will become more aware of food safety and more curious about how their foods are being sourced and screened. Processing lines will need to know in precise detail what is coming-in from the field and what is in storage in order to meet demand. Quality and safety standards will have to be higher than ever.

Bjorn predicts that mistakes will be able to ruin brands immediately: “In the past consumers might have ignored a defect or made a complaint only seen by the grocery chain or food manufacturer, but social media already changing that. A photo of something like a frog in a bag of lettuce can quickly go viral and global, reaching enough people to cause brand damage”.

How food businesses will be changed, how to stay competitive, how to get prepared and meet consumers' future demands – all these questions answers Bjorn Thumas in full version of the article.