However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Experts believe there’s a silver lining in the current retail climate, with many opportunities that savvy retailers and CPG brands can tap into this year.
Continued growth for super-speed deliveries:
With more delivery services launching in various cities, retailers’ adoption of these platforms is becoming increasingly widespread. Speed of delivery is the name of the game, with consumers tending to compromise the availability of specific products in favor of the speed they can be delivered straight to their door.
The shift towards premium products:
One market segment that gained popularity during the pandemic was the premium food and beverage category, including alcohol, frozen meals, DIY meal kits, and coffee. This growth is expected to continue post-pandemic due to changes in consumer behavior. While inflation has increased in recent months, there doesn’t yet seem to be any impact on consumer demand.
Overcoming labor shortages:
Many companies are feeling the labor shortage pinch, which is why many retailers and CPG brands are turning to process automation to reduce the workload of tasks that have been human-operated in both warehouses and customer-facing areas of the business. For example, many retailers are introducing self-checkout kiosks to replace checkout staff.
Expansion into food service:
The eCommerce boom in recent years has leveled the playing field and given retailers access to a new pool of potential corporate customers. Before now, winning contracts to supply fresh produce and meals to schools, businesses, and other institutions relied on bidding wars and relationship building. Now businesses want a user-friendly online portal with transparent pricing to order autonomously.
Increased focus on customer experience:
Experts predict that in 2022, there’ll be a consumer shift towards brands that alleviate their stress and provide products and experiences which spark joy. This could correlate to the purchase experience the customer goes through when completing a transaction or the physical products offered by the retailer. For example, many on-demand delivery companies have been offering “quarantine ready” packages, including things like a big fluffy bathrobe, Playstation games, a box of donuts, and some tissues, which can be on their doorstep within 30 minutes.
Eating at home is likely to continue:
Over the past two years, consumers have opted to dine at home, either by choice or as a requirement. This trend is expected to continue. This choice has been attributed to a greater focus on health, wellness, and self-care. However, this is not limited to meals being prepared at home but also food take-out and delivery from restaurants and fast food places. As a result, there will likely be an increase in ghost kitchens, robot chefs, and limited menus to help reduce wait times and costs.
Online grocery shopping is the new norm:
Unsurprisingly, there’s been a boom in the number of consumers who regularly do their grocery shopping online. According to research, the number of US consumers who do their supermarket shopping online has doubled in the past two years. It’sIt’s expected that this behavior will persist in the long term. The pandemic forced many businesses to make their online shopping experience smoother, which automatically removed some obstacles faced by consumers previously.
As with most things in business, perspective and creativity give you a winning edge. For businesses willing to adapt to a changing market, plenty of opportunities abound.
Mobeo is committed to improving brand loyalty and sales by helping retailers and CPG brands target, convert and retain local shoppers. So whether you’re attracting new customers or working on keeping the ones you have, Mobeo has a complete, customizable, and measurable solution to fit your needs.
Talk to us today about how we can help boost your digital footprint.