Next-gen grocery: Elevating the supermarket experience

Excite the senses with unexpected experiences

We all know the weekly ‘big shop’ can be dull and repetitive. Online disruptors such as Bother have built a whole service around delivering the boring or bulky items that no one wants to scour the shelves for and carry back home. But there’s more that supermarket brands can do in order to transform food shopping from a chore into an enjoyable experience.
The Harrods Food Hall is like a playground for foodies, but the sensory experience shouldn’t be reserved for luxury consumers alone. Other market players should consider how to stimulate the senses in order to intrigue and educate shoppers. Within the restaurant sector, Vivat Baccus’ refrigerated Cheese Rooms allow diners to learn about the vast selection of cheese from one of the restaurant’s expert staff and handpick their favourites to enjoy back at their table - supermarkets could draw inspiration and consider integrating mini-masterclasses into the customer journey. Yo Sushi’s infamous conveyor belt system could also be a fun way for supermarkets to present and serve food, or even whole meals - we’re seeing a growing trend for ‘Grocerants’ (a grocery store/restaurant hybrid) which offer a host of possibilities for a blended leisure experience. Canadian brand Loblaws are paving the way in this space, with more than 50% of their corporate grocery stores now including dining space and some offering cookery lessons and live music. Their vibrant and abundant displays of fresh produce in-store offer a visual feast to all visitors.
Surprising and sensory elements can inject some fun back into the supermarket shopping experience - brands should reinvent rigid customer journeys in order to have a bigger impact.


The level of opportunity across this category is huge right now. We believe that by elevating the customer experience across these various areas, grocery brands will be able to create new, meaningful experiences that will ensure lasting success during and post-pandemic.
For more information on how we can help you reframe your brand experience by integrating digital tools and platforms, developing new formats, or introducing sensory moments into the customer journey - please get in touch.