At the recent Groceryshop 2023 tradeshow, the focus was on practical concerns relating to retailers’ ability to generate in-store sales and connect with shoppers who are more technologically savvy — and distracted — than ever, GroceryDive.com reports.
“A walk around the two exhibit halls at Groceryshop made it evident that the grocery industry is heavily focused on enhancing the shopper experience in brick-and-mortar stores,” the news service noted.
Here are several key takeaways from this year’s conference, which took place earlier this month in Las Vegas:
- Electronic shelf labels are vying for attention
Signage technology was especially noticeable at the conference, with several vendors displaying next-generation electronic shelf tags that go beyond merely letting shoppers know what items cost.
- The grocery industry is experiencing a profitability squeeze
As traditional grocers face continuing pressure from mass merchants like Walmart and Target as well as e-commerce giant Amazon, they have seen their earnings capacity decline at a significant clip, grocery industry analyst Scott Moses of Solomon Partners said during a session.
- Grocers need content strategies to engage shoppers
The show included a session devoted strictly to the impact shoppable videos can have in driving customer loyalty and boosting sales.
- Retailers are looking to tech to deter store theft
Even as store theft poses a mounting challenge to grocers, retailers are also racking up significant losses from shoppers who inadvertently forget to scan items when using self-checkout stations, industry officials noted during the conference. Smart carts are emerging as an effective way for retailers to push back on that trend, several vendors said.
- Checkout terminals continue to evolve
As vendors search for ways to combat shrink, they’re also making it faster and easier for shoppers and store employees to identify produce during the checkout process and thereby reduce the likelihood that an improper price-lookup (PLU) code will be input either accidentally or on purpose.
Click here for more on Grocery Dive’s review of GroceryShop 2023.
