A focus on freshness, health, and social shopping are among the top trends for Asia’s grocery sector in 2019 as predicted by international grocery retailer IGD.
The research organisation has identified five key trends which look to next year and beyond in Asia’s grocery landscape.
“Over the last 12 months, Asia’s grocery landscape has continued to develop rapidly,” said IGD head of Asia Pacific, Nick Miles.
“Retailers have been opening new stores at pace, stores are getting smaller, the offline and online worlds continue to merge and new technology is being used to make operations more efficient.
“In 2019, we expect this pace of change to continue. Retailers will keep refining their operations to meet growing demand for convenience; partnerships will continue to shape the future of online; health and wellness and social media are set to grow in importance; and in-store technology will fundamentally change the way people shop.”
What to look out for
IGD picked the five trends as follows; the first being ultimate convenience. Consumers are shopping more frequently and buying less. This means they expect to be able to source products anywhere, any time, and any way they like. Smaller format stores and growth of convenience store chains are evidence of this.
Partnerships shaping the future of online is the second trend expected to continue as recent major partnershipshave helped to accelerate online growth across Asia.
“Collaboration between partners will help online expand both within individual markets and across borders, faster than previously thought. Suppliers should ensure they stay on top of the latest online partnerships,” said Miles.
The third, health and freshness at the heart, comes about from increasing levels of affluence, improved education and food safety scares. Through these factors, the Asian consumer is increasingly aware of the importance of healthy living.
Social shopping is the fourth trend and implies social media’s influence on the shopping experience. “Shopping via social media platforms is a key route to market in the region,” Miles noted. “Retailers and suppliers must therefore truly understand the landscape and have a clear social media strategy to engage shoppers and stay relevant.”
Lastly, technology and transformation will be a highlight as Asian consumers are exceptionally open to new technology. IGD said it will be keeping a close eye on innovations in Asia, particularly those set up for an online future. Miles noted suppliers need to understand which technologies are set to have the biggest impact on their category.
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