Analysis: How to Win Back E-Commerce Shoppers

While the end of the pandemic has been mostly good news for grocers, the return to in-store shopping has taken its toll on grocery e-commerce. More than half (52%) of consumers have stopped using the …

How Omnichannel Experiences Build Loyalty

Providing a seamless experience is more than one great transaction—it’s using omnichannel opportunities to meet shoppers wherever they are.

Holiday Spending Rises as Consumers Show Appetite for Experiences

This holiday retail season looked different than years past, industry experts noted. Retailers discounted heavily but consumers diversified their holiday spending to accommodate rising prices.

Rising Gas Prices Prompt Changes in Shopping Habits

With gasoline prices topping $6 a gallon in some parts of the U.S., consumers have been rethinking their shopping habits, opting against multiple trips and turning to superstores and online solutions to cut down on …

Analysis: What’s Driving Growth in Specialty Food

Once a niche, hard-to-find category, specialty food is becoming a staple in consumers’ kitchens. KeHE Distributors President and CEO Brandon Barnholt recently joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss specialty food trends, factors affecting the industry, and …

Industry Expert: Delivery Customers Now Expect Speed, Accuracy

By most accounts, post-pandemic life will involve lots of online shopping for consumers. Coronavirus lockdowns nudged most consumers in that direction, and innovation is pushing them further toward adoption of extensive online shopping for purchases …

Buy Now, Pay Later Services Grow as an Alternative to Credit Cards

“Buy now, pay later” (BNPL) options are growing in popularity for larger purchases. Retailers, such as Walmart, are seeing a year-round boost from this purchasing option and are doing away with traditional layaway programs, reported CNBC …

Online Grocery and Delivery Companies Find Success Owning the Supply Chain

While Amsterdam-based e-grocery platform Picnic recently made headlines by raising $707 million in a Series D funding round led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, perhaps the bigger news is how Picnic and other food …

How Amazon is Changing the Grocery Landscape

A detour to the grocery store on the way home from work used to be just part of the daily grind, but all that has changed, and Amazon’s entry into the grocery business is moving …

(WITH VIDEO) Scientists Produce First-Ever 3D-Printed Wagyu Steak

Japanese scientists have taken alternative meat to the next level. A group of scientists led by Osaka University recently used stem cells isolated from Wagyu cows to 3D-print an alternative form of steak. This alternative …

Walmart Makes Major Play in Last-Mile Delivery

Walmart plans to open up its in-house delivery platform, Spark Driver, to other businesses. The retailer is doing so to allow the independent contractors out delivering Walmart merchandise to make additional deliveries along the way, …

E-commerce is Slowing; Will the Trend Continue?

With July U.S. retail sales off 1.1% overall, Walmart bucked the trend, reporting a second-quarter increase of 2.4%, compared to last year, while Amazon missed revenue estimates for the first time in nearly three years. …

Against the Backdrop of Prime Day, Amazon Eyes Online Grocery Sales

While consumers have a general understanding of how Amazon.com disrupted the retail landscape, most probably don’t know how the company’s signature sales event, Prime Day, also forced the industry to pivot. And with e-commerce sales …

Digital Coupons Overtake Print Circulars Amid Shifting Consumer Landscape

The days of a wallet stuffed with cents-off coupons is coming to a close with research indicating digital coupons have overtaken print circulars as a more direct way of reaching consumers. An analysis by Inmar …

Black Friday 2020 Online Sales Break All-Time Record

U.S. consumers spent an estimated $9 billion this year on U.S. retail websites for Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics, reported AL.com (Nov. 28). The spend represents a 22% increase over a record $7.4 billion …

Holiday Shopping Expected to Rise During COVID-19

The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects holiday sales will rise in 2020 when compared to 2019 as consumers search for reasons to celebrate during the pandemic. The group forecast holiday sales in November and December …

Whole Foods Feels Pressure from Pandemic

Although much of the grocery industry is prospering, trips to Whole Foods in September were down 25% from a year earlier, according to Placer.ai, reported Bloomberg (Oct. 7). Some of the decline is due to …

A Second Grocery Stock Up on the Way

More than half of shoppers plan to stock up on groceries if another coronavirus-related shutdown occurs, according to data from Acosta. “As COVID cases continue to rise, most shoppers believe we’re headed for another shutdown …

Shopify Finds Winning E-Commerce Strategy

Shopify Inc. is seen as one of the biggest winners in the retail shakeout following the coronavirus pandemic, reported The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 8). Millions of small businesses were forced to adapt to online sales …

Walmart Accelerates E-Commerce Business

Food Institute Focus – Walmart Accelerates E-Commerce Business

Amazon Consumers Shop More But Satisfied Less

Food Institute Focus – Amazon Consumers Shop More But Satisfied Less

How COVID-19 Could Change Grocery Shopping Indefinitely

Food Institute Focus – How COVID-19 Could Change Grocery Shopping Indefinitely

How Grocers’ Online Shopping Strategies are Being Impacted by the COVID-19 Crisis

COVID-19 has changed the way many Americans shop for groceries today, driving a 192% increase in online orders for delivery and pickup services versus the summer of 2019. This has stressed supply chains, disrupted retail …

Delivery Accelerates Due to Coronavirus

Food Institute Focus -Delivery Accelerates Due to Coronavirus

E-Commerce: The New Normal

E-commerce is no longer considered an option for retailers if they want to keep up with competition. The average online grocery shopper spends 32.7% of the grocery budget online, according to a report from Acosta. …

The State of E-Commerce: A Look into the Past, Present, and Future

According to U.S. Census Bureau, e-commerce in the U.S. during 2019 reached almost $600 billion, a staggering figure when considering the first products sold online occurred only about 25 years ago—about the time when Amazon …

An Interview with Leslie Sarasin, President & CEO of FMI

In honor of Women’s History Month, The Food Institute Report is highlighting influential female executives in the food industry for each of its three March editions and getting their thoughts on the industry. In this …

Optimizing Online Shopping

According to Nielsen, at the close of 2019, brick-and-mortar food distribution represented the largest share of grocery sales—especially for fresh food. Despite this factoid, things are changing fast. In Nielsen’s words, “e-commerce maintained its meteoric …

Omnichannel Shoppers Will Dominate by 2025

Food Institute Focus – Omnichannel Shoppers Will Dominate by 2025