During my many years as a supermarket retailer I saw my share of panic buying related to natural disasters like blizzards and hurricanes. Like many, I lived through the 9/11 crisis and its impact. But I have never experienced anything like what we are currently going through.
I’ve talked with many people across the supply chain these past few days, from brand manufacturers to distributors to retailers. I have been in our local stores seeking supplies but also watching how retailers are responding to a never-before environment.
While healthcare workers are always thought of as the front lines in a pandemic like we are experiencing, it is just as true that the workers in supermarkets and drug stores are equally on the front lines. The commitment by people across the massive grocery industry to serve the people in their communities during this crisis is to be commended. They don’t have to be there - they can stay home like many others, taking care of their families, and self-quarantining. But these store workers are unselfishly putting themselves on the front line of the coronavirus battle, realizing that feeding and providing needed supplies for their communities is as important as the doctors and nurses caring for the ill.
When the current crisis abates - and it will - I believe the retail industry can step back to realize what it has accomplished….
A significant trend in grocery marketing and the merchandising of grocery products has been the widening chasm of strategies between the traditional Retailer and Consumer Package Goods (CPGs) in how they market and sell to the consumer. This chasm is not created by diverging goals, as both are working towards getting closer to the consumer, but at the pace at which the use of new technologies and engagement techniques are being deployed. Studies now show…
For a long time, the grocery industry was a major holdout on the move to ecommerce. Most grocers lacked the resources to make online grocery buying as convenient and satisfying as in-person shopping, and it was easy to assume that it couldn't be done.
Those assumptions are still holding the industry back. As of early 2019, only 3% of sales in the grocery retail sector happened online – compared to around 10% for all retail sectors. Online grocery has…
No one ever said it’s easy to be an independent retailer. This is especially true in a retail world where the battle for supremacy among giants such as Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Alidi and Costco can cause collateral damage to independent retailers.
However, as the new decade begins soon, independents have a lot going for them relative to larger rivals. They are nimble, smart, very connected to their markets and communities and can move quickly if they choose. They can fully capitalize on these strengths by...
The CART Event at the NGA Show coming up in February, 2020, is focused on helping Independent Retail understand What it takes to Thrive in The Age of ‘i’.
Changes in the retail industry are happening faster than ever before, transforming the retail store, and how retailers go to market and interact with their shoppers. Retailers can embrace this change, avail themselves of capabilities never before possible, or be disrupted into irrelevancy. And disruption is exactly what’s happening as the industry undergoes gut-wrenching change as decades of product-first practices give way to a true customer-first retail experience…
Guest blog by Bobby Brannigan, Founder and CEO of Mercato
The other day I overheard a phone call between one of our sales representatives and an Independent Grocer. It went something like this:
Sales Rep: Hi, this is Nikki from Mercato. We are the only e-commerce and delivery platform designed exclusively for independent grocers. I was hoping to talk with you about getting your store online and growing your business.
Grocer: Oh, I’m not even thinking about that right now. There is a store across the street and they aren’t online, so I’m not sure it is important for me. Plus, I’m really busy.
The sad truth is that we hear conversations like this all the time. It’s almost 2020, and here is a merchant who isn’t even thinking about getting online. That isn’t even the worst part! The worst part is how far this is from what the big chains are actually thinking and doing. To them, e-commerce is yesterday. They are already there. They have already moved on to the next big things.
How is the independent grocer supposed to compete in a world where the resource gap between the “haves” (Kroger, Amazon, Albertsons, etc.) and the “have-nots” is this large?
