As the market continues to evolve, the traditional brick-and-mortar store joins forces with technology channels to enhance the shopping experience.

Research from What’s in Store 2016 from the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) has revealed that food retailers are venturing into the world of omnichannel marketing.  Ecommerce, mobile, social, catalog and physical stores are being integrated to create enhanced shopping channels for consumers.

Other findings from What’s in Store 2016’s Technology and Marketing section include:

• 76% of consumers want to view and touch an item before purchasing it, while 65% browse products online and then purchase them in-store to avoid shipping costs. (Pricewaterhouse Coopers)
• Grocery shoppers are receptive to using online purchasing options, with 55% saying they’re willing to order online for home delivery and 57% saying they’re willing to order online and pick up the order inside the store.

Joachim Pinhammer, research director, Planet Retail, told IDDBA that factors like consumer price sensitivity, increasing competition from discounters and pressure on margins can impact a retailer’s decision to offer online shopping and home delivery.

“Setting up and maintaining home delivery services are cost intensive, particularly for fresh food, where transportation and storage at different temperature zones for ambient, chilled and frozen food is required,” Pinhammer said.  “However, consumers’ busy lifestyles will drive demand for innovative and convenient pick-up and delivery methods in the U.S. and Europe.”

• The “Drive” concept, which has been successfully implemented in European countries, is poised for growth in the U.S.
• In-store beacons and near field communications are two of the top technologies food retailers should be aware of.

With 30 years of credible reporting, What’s in Store is an essential dairy-deli-supermarket foodservice-bakery-cheese resource providing vital data on the retail and market trends, growth and category changes shaping the food industry. IDDBA also offers What’s in Store Online, a collection of 150 downloadable tables, as well as white papers and trends articles.

A secondary research report, What’s in Store is developed through both interviews with industry experts and sourcing of third-party data and trends.

This year’s edition of What’s in Store has a more continuous storyline to improve user efficiency and provide greater clarity for professionals needing to understand today’s retail world. Through five themes, readers gain new insights and learn about marketplace influences. In addition to Technology and Marketing, they are:

• The Economy & Retail Trends
• Channels & Competition
• Consumer Lifestyles
• Eating Trends

The themed narrative is carried into each of the product chapters: Bakery, Cheese, Dairy and Deli. The new format, exclusive interview content and inclusion of key insights, table interpretations, data callouts and testimonials enables the reader to more efficiently tie back to the broader context and then dig deeper in each of the product sections.

“Omnichannel shopper engagement, whereby retailers engage shoppers across all sales channels and communications touchpoints, can provide valuable information on shopping behavior and preferences and enhance stores’ marketing and technology strategies,” said Eric Richard, education coordinator, IDDBA. “Our research examines specifically how today’s technological innovations are impacting the retail food landscape and consumers’ decision-making processes.”