The Future of Food
How technology will impact Americans who are hungry for convenient nourishment.
Food e-commerce by the numbers
Changes in food distribution
- 2024. 10% of all shopping is expected to move to click & collect or delivery by this date
Shifting consumer behavior
- 100 billion. Predicted consumer online spending for food and beverage by 2025. No longer a niche, online grocery shopping is on an accelerated path to consumer adoption.
Online grocery sales
- 15-20%. The projected growth in U.S. food e-commerce over the next few years. Most growth comes from digital store transactions, which means brick-and mortar can leverage this channel too.
Data brings personalization
- 1 in 2 food retail companies intend to invest in or adopt Artificial Intelligence. The goal? To use the data gleaned from digital shopping to better understand the needs and behavior of their customers.
- Shoppers want convenience. 89% of shoppers who order online and pick up in store are satisfied with the experience. Consumers crave convenience and will pay more to shop how and when they want.
What on the horizon? Here are few promising developments.
2030 food innovations
- Airborne warehouses & drone delivery. Airships become supermarkets-in- the sky stocked with high demand items for faster delivery
- Refrigerated community pickup lockers. Neighborhood-based click and collect towers solve the logistics hurdlers of last-mile grocery delivery.
- Autonomous grocery stores. Supermarkets-on-wheels bring milk, eggs and perishables right to your door on-demand, even after hours.
- Food reprocessing. New technologies and processes give expired food new life, reducing environmental impact and turning waste into profit.
- Automated fulfillment centers. Robots sort and pack groceries around the clock in smart, autonomous stockrooms.
- 3D food printing. Using powdered or liquid food material in a process known as additive manufacturing, new breeds of healthier, sustainable foods and nutritionally complete meals can be created at the push of a button.
Sources: Panasonic Corp. of North America “Moving Forward” research study, Hussmann research, McKinsey, FMI, Nielsen/FMI report: “The Digitally Engaged Food Shopper,” The Shoppers’ Guide to Restructure Retail Report