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The concept of a grocery store as we know it can be traced back more than 100 years ago when Piggly Wiggly, the first self-service grocery store, opened in the United States. The concept of picking up your items, roaming the store on a cart, and taking them to a checkout counter became an instant hit. Soon after, the concept was franchised and eventually, the format of the supermarket became the dominant format and it eventually evolved to the grocery as we know it today.
Now, the recent situation brought the grocery industry to a sudden spotlight. A lot of people got into an unnecessary panic buying, there was a shortage of essentials, and we saw the longest line to enter a grocery so far in the lives of most of us. On the other hand, you might have avoided all this chaos and drama if you have your groceries delivered to your doorstep.
With these things in consideration, there was one definite thing: the grocery industry has seen a change that will affect it for good. With that in mind, here are the top three ways grocery shopping has changed for good.
Online ordering in the future
Doing your grocery online at the comfort of your home is no longer a new concept. It had been a thing as old as online shopping itself. However, most people just did not care for it at all before. To most, the usual trip to the store on a weekly or bi-weekly basis is still the way to do it.
However, all the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way a lot of people consider how they get their groceries. Before, at least 81% of shoppers have never ordered online. Now, at least 71% of shoppers have made their first online purchase in 2022 and are considering shifting to online ordering altogether.
Grocery delivery apps such as Getir have helped both their partner merchants and customers to move goods fast and save time and money at the same time. With Getir promo codes and customized offers, more people opt to avail of delivery services. It not only saves gas money, but you can also enjoy great deals a lot more often.
Bigger orders for shelf-stable food
What changed with customers is not only they had a new perspective of how they can get their grocery goods, but they also had a new way of looking at what products to get.
With the extended periods of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, most people were forced to stock up on food. This meant getting food that can last you for a month, if not more. You can get meat or veggies, but fresh produce would not last long, even with refrigeration. This is where obtaining “shelf-stable” food, or products that can be stored for quite some time became the focus for many. Not only that, more families and individuals now prefer making one huge purchase good for a longer time rather than making smaller and more frequent ones.
Speed and convenience
As technology makes the lives of everyone easier, it also pushes all of us into a more fast-paced life all the time, and this includes even the way we do our groceries. Now, if you still prefer to physically go to the store, most establishments offer an online grocery ordering system where you can pick your goods, pay for them online, and arrange for pick-up. You can, of course, have it delivered but having to pick it up along the way helps saves time not only for you but for the customer in line for checkout. You can also compare prices just by looking at an internet page like hoteudeals so you can choose an affordable one.
When it comes to checkout, technologies for self-checkout also become more and more advanced, with wireless payment snow as easy as tapping your mobile device on a scanner. These things have opened the door for grocery store owners to adapt to technological advancements to make shopping for their customers as fast, easy, and convenient as possible.
