Wow! With over 4000 in attendance, Groceryshop 2022 certainly came back from the pandemic with overwhelming excitement. It was great to see everyone mingling and networking with colleagues they haven’t seen in over two years in some cases.
The overall content shared during the event was fantastic. As was the amazing speaker lineup. From the main stage keynotes of Jason Buechel, CEO, Whole Foods Market, Natalie Knight, Chief Financial Officer, Ahold Delhaize, Vince Jones, Ecommerce Chief, PepsiCo, John Furner, President & CEO, Walmart U.S., Darren Rebelez, President & CEO, Casey’s, the presentations and discussions did not disappoint.
![groceryshop-2022-amanda-steve Groceryshop 2022 Recap](https://parkeravery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/groceryshop-2022-amanda-steve.jpg)
The speakers across the breakout tracks were equally impressive, including a session on technology selection and partnerships led by our very own Amanda Astrologo, Partner at The Parker Avery Group. While each track had its focus, four key themes consistently jumped out:
- Continue to focus on omnichannel grocery as the key to future growth and sustainable relevancy.
- Commit to being a data-driven organization.
- Keep the focus on delivering unique product assortments and special customer experiences.
- Turn off auto-pilot and break down silos to drive collaboration and fresh thinking.
Groceryshop
THEME 1
Continue to focus on omnichannel capabilities as the key to future growth and sustainable relevancy.
Massive advances in omnichannel order management and fulfillment were consistently touted as the primary growth engine for grocers and CPG alike. Essential considerations in driving more growth include:
- Reengineering the organization to have an omnichannel, digital-first mindset;
- Harvesting internal and external data;
- Investing in newer/better technologies capable of supporting authentic omnichannel experiences;
- Driving cohesive orchestration throughout all parts of the organization.
Darren Rebelez from Casey’s talked about applying digital principles to the broader business. A digital-first mindset generally promotes efficiency and streamlines the shopping experience, and this approach should be no different for grocery and other brick-and-mortar retailers. It continues to be important across all areas of retail to take a holistic view of how the business and customer experience are managed.
Groceryshop
THEME 2
Commit to being a data-driven organization.
John Furner, Walmart’s CEO, characterized data as the ‘new currency.’ “Those organizations who are always looking back versus utilizing predictive analytics will always be playing catch up.” Driving value through actionable insights is not only a vital trait for sustained growth, but it is critical to elevating the customer experience. Organizations that commit to this strategy should be prepared to not only elevate their technology but their people and processes as well. This is not an overnight switch and managing the change is just as crucial. Sharing data is another key to unlocking this change. This could be sharing data internally and taking a more enterprise view of how data translates across the organization. Data-driven can also mean sharing data with partners to amplify the relationship and make better joint decisions. Either way, this is not a siloed initiative and should be intentional and collaborative.
Groceryshop
THEME 3
Keep the focus on delivering unique product assortments and special customer experiences.
Many of the grocers we spoke with and listened to are still focused on localized assortments. However, they are also building and focusing more on internal expertise to maximize the benefit. The focus on team members and skill sets to differentiate assortments and gain consumer trust go hand in hand. You must be able to “talk the talk,” and not just execute. Be different. Be special. Be customer-centric. Today’s consumer likes to support local products and businesses. However, having too many options adds complexity across assortment planning, allocation, replenishment, and store operational execution. The challenge lies in keeping product assortments simple, yet differentiated from your competitors.
Groceryshop
THEME 4
Turn off auto-pilot and break down silos to drive collaboration and fresh thinking.
The theme of consistently challenging the status quo and taking a broader view of processes and toolsets was definitely in the forefront of many conversations last week. Teams need to be more collaborative, utilize each other’s knowledge base, and figure out how to ensure companies are doing more with less. This does not mean headcount reduction; it just means doing things differently. Grocers are challenged with how to keep their brand experience “fresh” and innovative to address ever-changing consumers. Nathalie Gerschtein from L’Oréal said she is always asking her teams, “Why are we doing things the way we are, and can we be different?” This kind of change needs strong leadership. It also speaks to giving teams the empowerment to take non-traditional views—and permission to fail. This shift is more important than ever to stimulate the retail workforce and continue to build the talent needed for growth.
Overall, Groceryshop 2022 was a valuable experience as always, with great attendance, content, and networking. We look forward to continuing to share ideas and foster the relationships we gained. And we most certainly look forward to next year’s Groceryshop!
If you have any questions about any of these grocery themes, please reach out to us. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss any of your challenges or ideas. We also look forward to seeing you at NRF’s Big Show and other industry events.