The shopping cart empties itself. A robot recommends the perfect recipe for dinner. An app guides you through the shelves with personalized recommendations? You haven't drank too much: maybe you're just a few years ahead in the future, among the innovations that will revolutionize the world of retail.
From the simple sales corner of the first shops, supermarkets have evolved over time to accommodate the new needs of consumers and the search for increasingly convenient and satisfying shopping experiences. Today, in this ever-changing landscape, artificial intelligence and a host of other cutting-edge technologies are pushing the boundaries of innovation and paving the way for the spending of the future. Here are four trends to keep an eye on.
Forecasting of purchases
One of the most significant transformations will be how predictive technologies and artificial intelligence are used to predict consumer demand, helping supermarkets optimize stock inventory.
Assisted by AI software (for example the American Freshflow), the sales points will be able to "smell the wind". They will analyze the context of certain domestic sales, and also historical data. However, they will also be able to cross-reference them with external factors: general trends, availability and prices of raw materials, ongoing promotions, even weather data and other factors. For what? That of creating models capable of estimating in advance and with high precision what and how much customers will buy, to reduce waste, guarantee freshness and... Sell more obviously.
The role of robotics in shopping
We are getting there gradually: in addition to the service robots already active (some for some time!) in numerous departments to assist customers, other solutions based on artificial intelligence and robotics are automating key activities and roles within the supermarket. No, I'm not talking about the smart carts, although their presence will be organic and functional. I'm talking about robots, androids and otherwise.
Collaborative robots can rearrange the shelves, carry out inventory checks or carry out cleaning operations, while other platforms support staff in managing the warehouse or preparing online orders.
Augmented and virtual reality
To make the shopping experience even more personalized and efficient, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are making their appearance in supermarkets.
They range from virtual viewers that immerse the customer in a completely different store to AR systems that, via display or directly via the app on the smartphone, provide additional information on the origin of the products, the nutritional values and the various offers available.
The evolution of spending towards e-commerce
Alongside in-store innovation, the world of food retail is experiencing a profound transformation thanks to the role of e-commerce, which is destined to grow exponentially in the near future. Supermarkets are transforming into integrated experience centers, where shopping, entertainment and innovative services they coexist and harmonize, supported by advanced e-commerce systems.
From the "dark-store" models dedicated to order collection processes to hybrids where the physical experience meets digital, the virtual cart increasingly plays an important role.
Sustainability and traceability
Finally, a growing role in the design of tomorrow's supermarkets must be assigned to technology aimed at tracing the origin of food and adopting more sustainable consumption models. Sensors capable of constantly monitoring temperatures and gases inside the packages they can help reduce food waste. At the same time, they will guarantee consumers an additional level of security and transparency on the products they purchase.
The foods and products in our shopping will "speak" to the shelves and automatic labels. Their price? It will change in real time as they near expiration or decay.
From internal logistics to customer contact, every aspect of the food retail experience is being profoundly redesigned by technology. In the present as in the near future, the watchword is personalization in a journey between physical and digital. Supermarkets confirm themselves as a microcosm in continuous evolution and at the forefront of innovation.
