The
grocery retail landscape is experiencing a tectonic shift, driven by an
accelerating consumer migration from traditional grocery toward ready-to-eat,
ready-to-heat, and freshly prepared foodservice options. This “grocerant”
movement—a term coined by Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson
at Tacoma WA based Foodservice
Solutions®—captures the fusion of grocery and
restaurant experiences. Once a marginal trend, the grocerant model is now a
powerful force eroding the boundaries between where food is purchased and where
it is consumed. It has propelled supermarkets, convenience stores (c-stores),
and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) into an intense competition for the
consumer’s mealtime dollar.
Historical Trends: From Scratch Cooking to Grocerant
Innovation
1970s–1990s:
Supermarket Supremacy
Home-cooked meals and weekly shopping dominated the cultural narrative.
Supermarkets thrived on bulk purchases and planned meal prep. This was the
golden era of CPG advertising and loyalty cards.
2000s–2010s:
The Rise of Convenience Culture
A cultural shift toward time-starved, dual-income households pushed consumers
toward fast food and grab-and-go convenience. C-stores and QSRs began to blur
the line between snacks and meals. Microwaveable meals and value menus
redefined affordability and access.
In a Battle for Share of Stomach
2020s:
The Grocerant Era
Today, we’re in the full swing of consumer channel migration. QSRs and
c-stores offer complete meal solutions with restaurant-quality appeal.
According to Johnson, “Consumers no longer eat where they shop. They shop where
they can eat.” Grocery stores, with legacy infrastructure built around
ingredient sales, are now urgently pivoting to retain meal relevance.
Data Signals: Evidence of the Grocerant Disruption
·
QSR Revenue Surge:
Quick-service restaurants posted an 8.3% year-over-year revenue gain in 2024,
far outpacing the 2.5% growth seen by grocery stores.
·
Declining Supermarket Footfall:
Between 2019 and 2023, traditional supermarket visits dropped by 6.7%,
reflecting eroded relevance in daily meal occasions.
·
C-store Fresh Food Boom:
C-stores report 12% annual growth in foodservice revenue, fueled by robust
investments in hot food programs and proprietary coffee platforms.
·
Delivery Ecosystem Disruption:
App-based ordering and ghost kitchens make meal solutions ubiquitous—displacing
the need for planned grocery trips and meal prep.
Grocerant Disruptions: A Framework from the Grocerant Guru®
Steven
Johnson emphasizes that legacy grocery formats are in disequilibrium due
to structural, technological, and behavioral disruptions. Here are the most
pressing:
1. Rising
Rent & Ops Costs: Traditional grocers are locked into
inefficient square footage, draining margins.
2. Labor
Shortages: Deli and hot food counters remain
underutilized due to staffing challenges.
3. Time
Starvation: Consumers are choosing speed over
scratch.
4. Inflation-Induced
Behavior Shifts: Shoppers trade down to low-prep,
low-waste meal solutions.
5. Generational
Meal Preferences: Millennials and Gen Z are “serial
snackers” who crave flavor variety and digital convenience.
6. Digital
Grocery Erosion: Online grocery lacks sensory
engagement, making impulse and fresh food sales suffer.
7. Mobile
Meals Reign: Restaurant meals can now be ordered
in less time than it takes to plan a grocery list.
8. Occasion
Fragmentation: Breakfast, lunch, and late-night
meals have migrated from the grocery aisle to the convenience checkout.
Grocerant Solutions: Strategies to Restore Relevance
According
to Johnson, “The future of grocery isn’t grocery—it’s foodservice.” Here are
actionable pathways for reclaiming consumer mealtime:
1. Reformat
Store Footprints: Redesign floorplans to emphasize
grocerant zones—think seating, hot bars, and self-checkout at food counters.
2. Leverage
Labor Automation: Adopt robotics for repetitive tasks
like sandwich making, coffee service, and salad bars.
3. Double
Down on Grab-and-Go: Offer chef-inspired meals, bento
boxes, and ethnic street foods in compact, high-turn formats.
4. Price
to Compete: Promote bundled meal deals (entrée +
side + drink) at price points that rival fast food.
5. Generational
Menu Engineering: Infuse flavor-forward, globally
inspired dishes that resonate with Gen Z’s adventurous palate.
6. Omnichannel
Ordering: Enable mobile app pre-orders,
subscription meal kits, and AI-driven suggestions based on consumption
patterns.
7. Last-Mile
Partnerships: Collaborate with DoorDash, Uber
Eats, or local players to bring grocery-prepared meals into the delivery
mainstream.
8. Brand
as a Destination: Market the grocery store as a
community food hub—not a pantry restocker.
Think About This: The New Battleground for the Mealtime
Dollar
The
retail food landscape is undergoing one of the most profound recalibrations in
modern history. The consumer’s pivot toward frictionless, foodservice-forward
experiences has unbalanced the traditional grocery model. As the Grocerant
Guru® notes, “We are witnessing a fundamental rewiring of what it means to be a
food retailer.”
Survival
depends on grocers thinking like restaurateurs, technologists, and experience
designers. Those that adapt quickly—embedding foodservice into their core
identity—can win back the mealtime mindshare. Those that don’t risk being left
behind in a world where the consumer now expects meals, not menus.
Success Leaves Clues—Are You Ready to Find Yours?
One
key insight that continues to drive success is this: "The consumer is
dynamic, not static." This principle is the foundation of our work at Foodservice
Solutions®, where Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru®, has been
helping brands stay relevant in an ever-evolving market.
Want
to strengthen your brand’s connection with today’s consumers? Let’s talk.
Call 253-759-7869 for more information.
Stay Ahead of the Competition with Fresh Ideas
Is
your food marketing keeping up with tomorrow’s trends—or stuck in yesterday’s
playbook? If you're ready for fresh ideations that set your brand apart, we’re
here to help.
At
Foodservice Solutions®, we specialize in consumer-driven retail food
strategies that enhance convenience, differentiation, and
individualization—key factors in driving growth.
👉
Email us at Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us
👉 Connect with us on social media:
Facebook,
LinkedIn,
Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment