Is Going to the Grocery Store to Cook and Do Dishes Still Relevant?

 

In an era when delivery apps, prepared meals, and rapid grocery innovation dominate, it’s fair to ask: Is going to the grocery store to cook at home — and doing all the dishes — still relevant? According ti Steven Johnson the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® the answer is complex but clear: while traditional grocery shopping is evolving, it is far from obsolete. However, its relevance depends heavily on how stores meet modern consumers' expectations for freshness, healthfulness, convenience, and personalization.

The State of Grocery Shopping Today

Recent data from FMI’s 2024 "The Power of Foodservice at Retail" report shows that 65% of consumers still regularly shop at traditional grocery stores, but their behaviors and expectations have shifted dramatically:

·       70% of shoppers prioritize freshness and quality over everything else, including price.

·       56% of U.S. adults purchase prepared meals or ready-to-heat foods from grocery stores at least once a week — up from 48% in 2022.

·       40% of grocery shoppers are actively seeking hybrid experiences: combining shopping, dining, and even entertainment in one trip.

Consumers want groceries — but they want smarter groceries.

Health, Transparency, and Technology Are Reshaping the Industry

·       88% of consumers desire more healthy food offerings (Progressive Grocer, 2024).

·       52% of shoppers always read product labels, scanning for terms like "all-natural," "heart-healthy," "low-sodium," and "clean ingredients."

·       A growing 24% of Americans now follow a specific diet like keto, plant-based, gluten-free, or Mediterranean, making product variety and clear labeling crucial.

In response, stores are innovating aggressively:

·       Whole Foods is growing oyster mushrooms on-site, showcasing hyperlocal produce sourcing.

·       Kroger has expanded its "Scan, Bag, Go" service to more than 400 stores, letting shoppers skip checkout lines.

·       Domino’s Pizza now offers voice ordering through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant — and Walmart has integrated generative AI into its mobile app to create curated shopping lists based on dietary preferences.

Consumers also want digital integration:

·       60% would love the ability to scan items in-store for instant nutritional and allergen information.

·       86% say they prefer stores that automatically highlight coupons and deals relevant to their shopping habits.

·       Yet 43% report forgetting to use digital coupons, suggesting an opportunity for geo-fencing tech to send real-time reminders while customers are near or in stores.

Convenience and Loyalty Are Top Priorities

Today's grocery customers expect convenience:

·       32% prefer bundled meal kits or ready-to-cook solutions offered in-store.

·       77% shop within a five-mile radius of their homes, often visiting multiple stores to complete their stock-up trips.

·       89% create shopping lists and 62% intentionally combine store circulars with digital coupons to maximize savings.

This shows that even while tech adoption rises, the core needs for value, efficiency, and fresh food remain unchanged.

What This Means for Cooking at Home

Despite all this evolution, cooking at home is still deeply relevant, especially for:

·       Budget-conscious families: Home cooking remains about 5X less expensive than dining out (BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2024).

·       Health-focused shoppers: Home cooks can fully control ingredients, portions, and methods.

·       Meal planners: 45% of consumers plan their grocery purchases around pre-determined meals or recipes.

However, consumers don't necessarily want to spend hours cooking and cleaning. This fuels demand for:

·       Ready-to-heat meals

·       Pre-chopped produce

·       DIY meal kits

·       Smart kitchen appliances (air fryers, instant pots) that speed up cooking time

Bottom Line

Going to the grocery store — in its traditional sense — is less relevant for today's convenience-driven, digitally connected, health-conscious consumer. However, shopping for food, cooking at home, and controlling one's meals remains highly important. Grocery stores that adapt with personalization, digital integration, fresh options, and healthy choices will thrive.

Those that do not evolve risk becoming relics of the past.

 

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Online Grocery Shoppers see Highest Prices Ever

Buying groceries online simply cost much more than it does in the store.  However according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® “saving time and convenience at this point in time are continuing to drive adoption.

In case you did not know, grocery shoppers remain undeterred by high e-commerce grocery prices, according to the latest Adobe Digital Price Index, spending $64.6 billion in August. Though that number was up 6.5% from the same time period last year, Adobe also found that grocery prices saw their highest annual online price increase in August, up 14.1% year-over-year.

Now according to Adobe, grocery prices have been on the rise for 31 consecutive months, with grocery being the only category to move in lockstep with the Consumer Price Index on a long-term basis. Personal care products also saw an increase in online prices of 2.7% in August, with Adobe reporting that demand for those items has steadily risen along with online grocery demand.

Patrick Brown, VP of growth marketing and insights at Adobe, stated, “The modest uptick we see in online prices for August was driven in large part by rising food costs that show no signs of abating, just as seasonal discounts in a category like apparel phased out through the end of summer,”... “Consumer demand for e-commerce also remains steady and will keep prices elevated, especially for growing categories such as groceries, pet products and other consumer staples.”

Overall online prices in August increased 0.4%year-over-year and 2.1% month-over-month. Of the 18 categories Adobe tracks, 12 of them saw increasing prices. Electronics, jewelry, books, toys, computers and sporting goods were among the categories experiencing a drop in prices for August.

Are you selling food online?  What is your messaging?  What are you selling?  Are you ready to sell more?

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter