Grocery retailers are giving shoppers more control and personalization while using AI, automation, and digital tools to make their operations more efficient and responsive.
A shopper walks into a supermarket, fills their basket, scans their items as they shop, and pays through their smartphone. There’s no queue, no unloading everything onto a checkout belt, and no waiting for a cashier. The way people shop for groceries is changing, and the changes don't stop at the checkout.
Behind the scenes, retailers are using technology to rethink everything from inventory and food waste to pricing and store operations. AI is high on the agenda, with 47% of grocery retailers naming AI adoption as one of their top three priorities, according to McKinsey’s Grocery CEO survey.
Here are six grocery trends shaping where the industry is heading.
1. Shopping becomes more autonomous
Grocery shopping is giving customers more control over how they discover, select, and pay for products. Self-scanning, self-checkout, and mobile shopping tools already let shoppers complete more of the journey themselves, while AI is beginning to make parts of the experience more autonomous.
Bonús, one of Iceland’s leading supermarket chains, allows shoppers to create shopping lists, scan products as they shop using retail-provided devices, and pay through their app. By putting more of the shopping journey in the customer’s hands, Bonús has improved consumer loyalty and increased basket sizes as customers feel more in control of their shopping.
This shift toward greater autonomy is also opening the door to agentic commerce, where AI agents can help shoppers discover products, make purchasing decisions, build baskets, and eventually complete purchases on their behalf. In grocery, where many purchases are routine and repeatable, AI could take autonomy beyond the checkout and into the shopping journey itself.
2. Reducing food waste and shrinkage
According to a UN study, retailers waste close to 131 million tonnes of food every year, so it's no surprise that sustainability has long been on the agenda for grocery stores for years. But today, the focus is shifting toward more innovative and ambitious approaches as retailers face ongoing pressure to cut waste.
Beyond reducing plastic packaging and encouraging recycling, many retailers are now embracing the concept of the circular economy, where waste is minimized through the continuous reuse of resources. Many grocery retailers are doing this by:
- Offering local, organic, and zero-waste products
- Reducing energy consumption with smart refrigeration and lighting systems
- Digitalizing receipts and promotions to cut paper waste
Technology is also key in the fight against food waste. Smart Organic, Bulgaria's leading producer and distributor of organic products, cut food waste significantly after upgrading its retail platform, turning a sustainability goal into a measurable cost savings.
3. Personalized value becomes a competitive advantage
Every customer who walks into your store, or scrolls your app, leaves a trail of clues: what they buy, when they buy it, and what they skip. By analyzing loyalty data, purchase history, and shopping behavior, retailers can recommend relevant products, tailor promotions, and deliver personalized messages and offers to the right customers.
The specialty grocery chain Freshmart, for example, saw sales increase among its top 20% of clients after using targeted promotions and coupons alongside social media and text messaging.
AI adds another layer on top of this. Instead of relying solely on past purchase history, AI can pick up on changing customer preferences as they happen, and adjust recommendations, offers, and rewards in real time across both digital and physical shopping journeys. It's less about replacing the personalization retailers already do, and more about making it faster and more precise.
4. Blending online and in-store experiences
PwC's Voice of the Consumer survey in APAC found that 40% of shoppers use on-demand grocery delivery. However, consumers are not abandoning in-store shopping entirely; instead, they are blending digital and physical channels to suit their preferences.
Many retailers now offer services such as click and collect, curbside pickup, home delivery, and partnerships with delivery providers like Instacart. To support a more connected shopping experience, retailers need technology that provides real-time visibility across inventory, orders, customers, and fulfillment operations.
This is something Van Zon, a Dutch cash-and-carry retailer, has already embraced. More than 70% of its delivery orders are placed online, while eCommerce accounts for 25% of total sales in its cash-and-carry stores. Many customers combine online ordering with in-store visits to explore products. With a single grocery retail platform providing instant updates across inventory, pricing, and product information, Van Zon can keep its sales channels in sync and deliver a consistent shopping experience wherever customers choose to shop.
5. AI-driven demand forecasting and replenishment
Forecasting demand used to mean relying on historical sales data and periodic planning cycles. AI is changing that.
By combining sales data with factors such as weather, promotions, local events, and seasonal trends, AI can forecast demand more accurately and help retailers adjust replenishment before stockouts or excess inventory become a problem.
Carrefour, for example, uses AI to combine data from stores, warehouses, and eCommerce to improve demand forecasting and supplier ordering, helping optimize inventory levels while reducing overstocks and food waste.
As AI evolves from predicting demand to acting on it, retailers can automate decisions around what to order, when to order it, and how much, improving product availability while reducing excess stock and waste.
6. Smarter tools for more efficient store teams
As grocery operations become more complex, retailers are equipping store teams with digital tools that reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and help employees respond faster to what’s happening in the store.
Electronic shelf labels, for example, automate price updates and help ensure pricing stays accurate across the store. Storcash, a Polish cash-and-carry retailer, uses electronic shelf labels to make price changes faster and more accurate, giving employees more time to focus on other tasks, particularly during busy periods.
Other tools, such as mobile inventory devices, can help store teams access inventory information, replenish shelves, fulfill online orders, and manage daily operations without relying on manual processes or fixed terminals. When these tools are supported by up-to-date operational data, retailers can give employees greater visibility into what needs attention and help them act on it faster.
Keep pace with the latest grocery retail trends
As grocery retail evolves, technology is essential for staying competitive and meeting the latest customer expectations. Global grocery and supermarket POS platforms like LS Central give retailers the data they need to keep up across locations, channels, and formats.
Don’t just adapt to change, lead it. Contact us and discover how our software solutions can help your grocery chain meet tomorrow's demands, today.
