Every business owner knows that a positive guest experience brings more profits to your bottom line. Although the pandemic stunted the growth of many businesses, it accelerated the adoption of technology trends in every industry, including those in the grocery space.
This widespread adoption of new grocery technology trends has led to a shift in customer expectations; customers have become accustomed to the convenience these new technology trends bring and expect them to continue despite the easing of the pandemic. These trends don’t just benefit consumers, however. Grocers who have already implemented these changes have experienced various business benefits, optimized operations, higher customer satisfaction, and new business.
In the changed grocery landscape, grocers will need to become tech-forward if they haven’t already. Here are grocery technology trends to keep in mind for streamlining your business and maximizing customer satisfaction.
Keep Convenience Coming
Getting customers their groceries with ease is paramount in 2021. Many grocery stores saw operational upgrades to promote in-store shopping convenience throughout the last year, which proved to be successful. Some convenient grocery technology trends to have on deck to appeal to your customers include:
Mobile Friendly
Long queue lines aren’t beneficial to creating a seamless shopping experience. Make sure your POS solution is as mobile as you are from tablet checkouts to kiosk integrations. This will allow staff to check out customers on the side or allow customers with fewer items check themselves out, decreasing wait times for everyone.
Inventory Management
With thousands of products delivered weekly, you need an intricate inventory management application to simplify the process. Look for a POS provider who simplifies product tracking that moves in and out of your store without stressful guesswork. This will make inventory management and replenishing stock simple and easy so customers always have everything they need.
The more time you can free your staff from cashing guests out and providing inventory support, the more success you’ll have meeting your guests needs.
eCommerce Integration Accelerates
Among the most popular grocery technology trends is eCommerce. A whole new revenue stream awaits when you put your store online. In fact, consumer demand for the service has skyrocketed, with stores experiencing a 600% increase in online usage since the start of the pandemic. Consumers that aren’t local to your store will be able to access your products and services, helping to expand your customer base while offering added convenience to existing customers.
In order to keep up with customer’s ever-changing needs, it’s critical to have access to features and applications that serve the variety of customers that visit your store. Going online also means you can have an omnichannel presence, which will boost your business profits and maximize the guest experience. If your POS provider doesn’t have eCommerce capabilities, they might not be the best fit for business success in 2021.
Find a provider whose point of sale and software will integrate smoothly with every feature, function, and service you add to your online store, allowing for a seamless customer experience and simple online business management.
Loyalty & Marketing Support
Last year, many independent grocers experienced an influx of new business due to big-box stores running out of supplies. To keep this new business, grocers started experimenting with various grocery technology trends, the most popular of them including loyalty programs, which in turn nurtured more business.
The truth is, accessing customer data is where your growth lies as a grocery store. You can discover deep, analytical insights about guests to cater to their preferences and have them returning to your store cheerfully time and time again. The data will empower you to make better business decisions when it comes to what your customers love and where you need to streamline inefficiencies.
Your customers want to be rewarded for supporting your business. Loyalty programs help customers feel like a valued member of a special club. If your point-of-sale solution doesn’t offer marketing insights or a loyalty program, you don’t have the ability to nurture these customer relationships. That’s why it’s important to have a POS provider with a solution well-versed in grocery technology trends.
Your POS system must include an integrated loyalty program that is fully customizable to your unique business needs. Once your customers are members of your loyalty program, you can follow up with them via marketing through email, social media, or other avenues based on their data.
When it comes to the success of your business, look no further than Osprey Retail. With over 2,500 installations, our team of experts has extensive knowledge in the grocery industry. Our robust POS solution offers comprehensive applications that are key to growing your business. Plus, our system will help you stay ahead of the competition by sharing unparalleled insights for better business decision-making.
Interested in seeing our solution in action? Contact one of our expert team members today to get started.
