Impact Group

In 1916, the first modern, self-service grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, was opened in Memphis by a Tennessee entrepreneur, Clarence Saunders. In the little over a century since, humanity has experienced a wave of technological innovation exponentially greater, many times over, than at any other time in human history. Of course, the grocery industry hasn’t remained untouched by that technology. We’ve seen innovations in food storage, shipping, online merchandising, self-checkout kiosks, and more. Despite that, the actual brick-and-mortar grocery experience has remained virtually unchanged. Grocery stores continue to order and stock popular products that customers select and pay for. That dynamic, however, may be changing, and that could mean big things for the industry, CPG marketing and brokerage agencies, and the customer. Emerging Technology Much of the recent innovation in retail grocery isn’t exactly predictable as much as it seems like an inevitable step once

The rise of the internet marketplace has forced every industry to make some adjustments. Grocery retail has certainly not been an exception. Any sales and marketing agency worth its salt would tell the average brick-and-mortar retail business that the key is shifting their business strategy to an outgoing one, and to focus on making products available online. The retail grocery industry, however, isn’t positioned to live largely just online. Rows of fridges and freezers, deli, bakery, and butcher setups require real estate. The only recourse for grocery stores is to bring business to them.    As a result, the industry has seen an upswing in more niche and artisanal grocery stores, increased point of sale convenience, an emphasis on health and transparency, and, significantly, a reimagining of what grocery stores are and provide. There are two key components of that paradigm shift. One is a generally expanding push to control and market more of the food preparation p