Ethnic grocery stores face the same challenges as other grocery stores in today’s economy. Part of the challenge is satisfying customers and giving them an efficient, hassle-free shopping experience.

How can your ethnic grocery store work with both native English speakers and speakers with no or low English-speaking experience? Start with IT Retail’s translation tools, which will help you leap over one hurdle in helping customers receive the same shopping experience. With that simple adjustment, you can choose your store language, based on your customer base. IT Retail’s solutions can transform your grocery store into a neighborhood success story.

Our Software

We understand that you want to gain a better understanding of your store operations. IT Retail will carefully analyze your situation and create the POS that will best serve your needs, so you can maximize profits and minimize problems at your grocery store.

With our Inventory Management System, you can keep track of inventory with ease and ensure that your most popular products, and all your products, stay stocked. Since the Covid 19 pandemic hit, this has been an especially fundamental need for grocery stores.

Our scanning system can help you fight employee theft too. It combines scheduling data with employee performance, giving you intelligent insights with every transaction you ring up.

With our convenient cloud storage, you can take your store data with you, anywhere you go. All your information, including employee performance, sales, and inventory, is available on your screen, whether it’s a laptop, tablet, or phone.

As you consider your customers’ expectations, remember that they hope for fast, convenient checkout, every time they leave your store. With IT Retail hardware, you’ll have support for the latest technology, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, 1-Second EMV, EBT, and swipe. The hardware also helps you sell age-restricted items, by ensuring birthdates are entered at the register with each item that is age-restricted.

Data for Intelligent Decisions

IT Retail for Supermarket gives you the power to analyze each detail of your daily business operations. You’ll have every feature that you need, including reports and management tools for more effective organization. Each different ethnic store has its own specific needs, based on the local economy and customer base, and the scalability and functionality of IT Retail can meet the needs of each unique store.

Translation Tools

IT Retail works with numerous companies that provide services of great benefit to retailers. For instance, as the preferred way to pay for one billion Chinese consumers, Citcon integrates with AliPay, WeChat Pay, and UnionPay.

FutureProof Retail brings eCommerce to your store, with self-checkout, mobile checkout, and more. BarTender is software for label and barcode creation and automation, helping you improve efficiency, safety, security, and compliance. These are just a few of the many companies that IT Retail works with to ensure your customer experience remains stellar on every visit.

QR payments for Asian markets

IT Retail can help your Asian market use the latest technology. There are multiple ways you can use QR payments and codes in your store. The younger generation wants to connect to their interests in new and fast ways, and IT Retail can help you connect with them. During checkout, you can use a QR code reader POS to save valuable customer-facing display space, giving you a chance to get important marketing messages out to your customers.

Inventory can have both QR codes and barcodes assigned, and QR payments can make checking out a nearly effortless process for your customers. When you want to know more about how IT Retail can help your specific niche with software and hardware, consider how we have helped similar specialty stores, such as in the organic grocery store business.

With each innovation you add to your store, coupled with IT Retail’s support and customer service, you will realize gains in customer loyalty, efficiency, and profitability.

IT Retail Payments

IT Retail’s new payment processing service is now a full-service payment system, for all your payment needs. You won’t have to work with several different companies and struggle for compatibility. Instead, IT Retail has everything you need in one neat package.  

With IT Retail Payments, you’ll use the same interface as with the POS software to manage your processing service. You will also have technical support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will also have high-quality customer service.

You will receive a better rate than from competitors and a better price on the payment processing service. You can increase profits, efficiency, and productivity, helping you to create an amazing new experience for customers. Some customers have already saved up to $500 each month in processing costs. 

Schedule a Demo Today

If you want to learn more about maximizing profits and minimizing headaches, schedule your free demo today. We are built by grocers and we provide a complete solution, so you don’t have to shop around for additional support and software.

Key Points 

• IT Retail recognizes the difficulties and specific needs that come with running an independent ethnic grocery store. We have multiple products to help you run your store efficiently 
• Our software has an inventory management and scanning system to help you keep track of inventory, and combat employee theft. It also combines with scheduling data so that you can measure employee performance.
• IT Retail’s POS system also has cloud storage so that you can access your data from anywhere and any device. 
• IT Retails hardware supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, 1-second EMV, EBT, and swipe. It also has the capability to have age-restricted items 
• We have multiple integrations to provide translation capabilities, including AliPay, Wechat Pay, and UnionPay
• Use our POS system’s QR code reader to save space on your customer-facing display, and provide an effortless checkout experience for your customers 
• IT Retail Payments put everything you need for an efficient checkout experience into one package. Have a quick payment and authentication process, with 24/7 tech support.
• Schedule your free demo today to see how IT Retail can help your ethnic grocery store. 

 Summary: With recession concerns looming, many businesses will move forward with the traditional knowledge of how to approach a sensitive market. However, where other recessions were notable for decreased demand, the main issue plaguing this one may be decreased production. Therefore, it is important that businesses do not drastically decrease their inventory.

When it comes to businesses, and especially retail stores, preparing for sensitive markets and recession concerns, traditional wisdom says to cut back on inventory and build up cash reserves. This is due to decreasing demand, and for most retailers, too much unused inventory will mean great losses that could even lead to total business closure.

However, with this current potential recession market, the reality is a bit different. Now the factors at play mean that retailers who have MORE inventory are better positioned for success. This is because the current sensitive market was caused due to many complex factors, but one of the most important ones is supply chain issues. Therefore, buyers were willing and eager to purchase goods, they were just unable to due to lack of inventory.

This may be a much different reality for many grocery store owners who have been in the business during past recession times, and they may therefore not trust this insight. To help further illustrate the strength of inventory in this sensitive market, we are going to break down the various aspects that have contributed to this new reality.

Price Changes

One important thing to consider when it comes to a sensitive market for grocers is how price changes will affect your business, as well as your customers. What past sensitive markets tell us, is that when demand decreases and supply decreases, a business will often have to change prices to reflect this. This can mean dramatic price increases, as retailers look to recoup losses they sustained due to decreased demand.

While this can certainly be seen in some areas of retail business now, another reality is also showing amongst grocers. Many grocers, especially the big retailers like Walmart and Target are drastically lowering some prices, as they have over ordered and are left with excessive inventory. Now the title of this article does suggest that increased inventory is good for grocers in this market, so how is this compatible with these results?

Well, the answer is in moderation. While corporations like Walmart and Target are detailing with too much inventory, other retailers are dealing with this opposite issue, and find themselves with not enough stock to serve their customers. With their prices increased due to less stock, and less stock around to fulfill customer orders, customer satisfaction decreases, and these customers will seek out other locations where they can find their products.

Therefore, when it comes to a retailer healthily approaching this current market, your best bet is to be wary of market forecasts, but not cut too much from your inventory orders. You’ll want to have enough inventory to provide for your customers and being able to sell even at a reduced price, if necessary, can provide more for the long run than being out of stock.

Security from Supply Chain Disruption

We briefly mentioned before how Supply chain disruption has played a major role in getting the market to the point it is currently, and these issues may have lessened, but appear to not be over just yet. Making sure that your grocery store is prepared to deal with these supply chain issues, is how you can ensure you are able to serve your customers and maintain growth and success. This is where the importance of maintaining inventory comes in, as supply chains directly impact store inventory.

To further break down how we got here, big issues occurred along the supply chain, with plants and producers having to close due to illness and the time needed to deep clean and reopen. Shipping companies were also not spared this fate, and experienced their own downtime, causing impacts on the movement of products on top of the existing delays with production. This meant that stores were not getting the inventory they needed in time and had to settle for placing larger orders for the future, hoping customers and demand would still be around when inventory returned.

The issue we are seeing now is in some places, demand has not shot up to reach the number of inventory stores have, leaving many vendors with excess inventory that they are desperate to part with. This could potentially be mitigated with appropriate inventory management, and if you cut your inventory down too far, you could risk not being able to serve customers when another supply chain issue hits.

The best advice here would be to not under-prepare for your inventory needs, but also don’t get ahead of yourself and over thinking you will be cut short by a supply chain issue in the future.

Product Movement

This last point is perhaps the most necessary to consider, and that is the necessity to keep products moving off your shelves and to customers. But in the case of this market, your product movement is your most asset, and focusing on cash for the business rather than a product for the customers can actually be more harmful in the long run.

As opposed to older sensitive markets, this market is not notable for decreased demand across the board. Customers are still eager to purchase products, they are just dealing with inventory shortages and inflated prices. As a retailer at this time, your best position is to have the inventory available to meet consumer demand and seek to maintain steady prices so that you can be more competitive than less-prepared peers.

This current market was created by a lot of unprecedented factors and will therefore need to be approached in unprecedented ways. Older wisdom would suggest that inventory is a weakness, but your best way to prepare for the current market is to have products available to move.

Now more than ever, inventory is essential for grocers

Part of running a grocery store, or any business for that matter, is preparing a strategy for market conditions ahead. As it stands right now, the market is in a precarious position. Recession signs loom, but with the causes being different than usual, this fate may be avoided with the right steps forward.

An important thing that grocers can do right now, is to not react with the wisdom of past recession threats. The retail business is experiencing a lot of shifts, including demand in many places, but grocers are a unique case among them. With food and essential items being necessary purchases, demand is less threatened than in other retail areas.

This is especially true with how supply chains have been affected in recent years. With items being off shelves for so long, and now starting to reappear for some, demand can be expected to be steadier, or even increase. In this case, grocers should consider keeping a close eye on their inventory, but not drastically reducing it for fears of recession circumstances. A fully integrated POS system can help grocery stores keep up with the changing market, and keep their perpetual inventory running smoothly. At this time, consumers are still in need and want grocery products, and businesses should not miss out on the opportunity (and responsibility) to serve them.

IT Retail can help grocers keep up with customer needs while having accurate inventory data. With IT Retail, grocers can always keep an eye on their inventory, seamlessly add or remove products, and ensure there are always products on the shelves. Schedule a demo today to learn how IT Retail can upgrade your store, and help you remain competitive in this volatile market. 

 

Key Points:

• The current market conditions in consumers; maintaining from what you might expect from pre-recession statistics.
• A decrease in production poses a bigger issue than a decrease differs in consumer demand.
• Therefore, grocers should not severely cut inventory, as they will be unable to meet this demand.
• Maintaining inventory allows you to handle shifting prices and even charge less than your competitors with less stock.
• Supply chain issues are still a concern inventory levels can help avoid product shortages later on.
• Being able to consistently move products for your customers will be crucial for surviving and thriving in this market.
• Schedule a demo with IT Retail today to learn how IT Retail can help you manage your inventory seamlessly. 

Schedule a Demo Today

Schedule your free demo today to see how we can help you expand your technology and become a top competitor. Provide an email address and we will get you set up to realize why IT Retail’s POS functionality is world-class. We are customer-focused, built by grocers and we provide a complete solution.

1. The Most Successful Grocery Stores in the United States

If you’re wondering which grocery stores are the most successful in the United States, that depends on which metric you use. Walmart wins hands down if you want to look at the most sales in USD. If you want to measure success in terms of how many store locations are currently operational, the surprising victor would be Dollar General, with around 17,250 stores (as of 2021). 

2. Walmart

If you don’t live under a rock, then chances are you’ve heard of Walmart. Within the last few years, they quickly outmatched all of the previous leading grocery store and supermarket chains, now having almost double the annual income of Kroger, the former leading supermarket chain. Of the 63,328 grocery stores in the United States, 38,307 of them are supermarkets. Of those, 4,735 are Walmart locations. That means almost 7.5% of all grocery stores in the US are Walmart stores. 

 

With the average Walmart supermarket taking up 180,000 square feet, we can deduce that around 852,300,000 square feet of US soil are taken up by Walmart. If we estimate the United States’ land mass to be 20,048,160,000 square feet, then about 4% of all US land mass would be Walmart stores. 

 

3. The Size of Grocery Stores

As of 2022, the average grocery store covered a whopping 40,000 square feet, but some grocery stores trend toward the smaller side, taking up around 12,000-25,000 square feet. Ignoring outliers, like the Woodman’s in Kenosha, Wisconsin that takes up the most space of any US grocery store (252,345 square feet), we can use this average to do a few fun calculations. The margin of error will have to be fairly sizable, since we couldn’t possibly add up the exact square footage of each of the 63,328 grocery stores in the US, though. 

 

If you take the average size of a grocery store and multiply it by the number of grocery stores estimated to be in the U.S., you end up with about 2,533,120,000 square feet (or over 2.53 billion) of grocery store!

 

However, that number isn’t very accurate, and we can hone it in a bit more. If we take into consideration the following: 

• The largest US grocery store takes up 252,345 square feet
• 4,735 grocery stores are Walmart locations, which average 180,000 square feet
• 3,242 grocery stores are Kroger locations, which average 165,000 square feet
• 17,250 grocery stores are Dollar General Locations, which average 7,400 square feet
• 2,100 grocery stores are Aldi locations, which average 16,400 square feet
• 21,574 grocery stores are independently owned, and they average about 10,000 square feet

 

With all of this taken into account, you get a total of 2,342,352,345 square feet. If you take the previously mentioned estimate that the total landmass of the United States is 20,048,160,000 then that would mean the 11.68% is taken up by grocery stores and supermarkets. 

 

4. Illegal Eggs

In the US, it is a federal law that any eggs sold at grocery stores or supermarkets must be properly washed and sanitized before sale. This decreases the risk of salmonella being transmitted due to bacterial growth on the egg. 

 

In the UK, it is illegal to sell washed eggs at grocery stores and supermarkets. Their reasoning is that if you wash them improperly, you will leave behind excess moisture, which feeds the harmful bacteria on the egg and therefore would be worse than not cleaning the egg at all. 

 5. Best Sellers

For the past few years, the top selling item in stores in the United States was soda. In 2021, the top 5 selling items were soda, milk, eggs, chips, and bread. 

 

6. Shopping time

The average United States citizen visits the store roughly 1.6 times per week. For decades the most popular day to visit the grocery store was Sunday, but in recent years Saturday has become more popular. With the average grocery store visit taking around 45 minutes, the average US citizen spends 53 hours at the grocery store annually.

 

This type of customer data can be very helpful when finding out how well your store is doing in the long run.

 

More Miscellaneous Facts

• 2.4% of US GDP is contributed to Walmart stores, while independent grocers account for 1.2%. 
• Grocery store prices rose roughly 3.5% in 2020
• Vegemite was the first electronically scanned supermarket item in Australia in 1984
• Most grocery stores carry over 39,500 items
• It takes around 5 minutes less time to shop during the week than it would to shop on a Saturday or a Sunday, due to foot traffic
• 4pm-5pm is the most popular timeframe to go to the store.
• The size of shopping carts is increasing, encouraging people to buy more
• Coca-Cola invented coupons in 1887
• Self-Service checkout lanes were invented in 1992
• 51% of brick-and-mortar store sales are driven by online media.
• The average shopper prefers to spend more in one trip rather than making several smaller trips. 
• More people prefer eating in home rather than at restaurants, leading them to buy more ingredients for at-home cooking
• 63% of Americans are trying to eat healthier
• The packaging that food is in strongly impacts whether or not someone will buy a product.

 

What does it all mean?

Understanding the industry and the trends within it are very powerful tools when it comes to running a successful store. IT Retail offers detailed reporting and inventory management that can help grow your business and spend more efficiently. Knowing facts like these can help give you a sense of where the industry has been and where it’s going. To navigate this fluid industry, you need a reliable POS system that can adapt to the times just as well as you can. IT Retail is that POS system. Click here to learn more about how we can help take your business up a notch.

Summary

Learn about some of the most interesting facts about the grocery industry and how some of them can affect the industry moving forward. 

Schedule a Demo Today

Schedule your free demo today to see how we can help you expand your technology and become a top competitor. Provide an email address and we will get you set up to realize why IT Retail’s POS functionality is world-class. We are customer-focused, built by grocers and we provide a complete solution.

As an independent local grocer, you are well-versed in handling technology changes and keeping up with the competition. The industry’s rapid evolution means more national contenders are lining up to offer grocer services, making some POS platforms outdated and obsolete. 

With the IT Retail POS Platform, you can stop trying to keep your head above water and instead maintain a steady lead among the competitors. The competition is making data-driven decisions, and with our fully scalable platform, you can do the same.

Fast-Growing Technology

Stores like Amazon Go are the newest wave of change in the grocery industry. Amazon is opening grocery stores with true touchless shopping, using its Just Walk Out Technology, meaning shoppers can tap a code in the Amazon app, take what they want from the store and walk out, without any interaction with a clerk or robotic technology, beyond the phone.

Shoppers wanting convenience and efficiency will want this experience of a smart store, every time they shop for groceries. This means that your job in keeping up with technology must move ahead at a fast pace. At the end of a long day, you need the support of a full-service POS platform that transforms your business into a true competitor. We have software that can compete with such services as our mobile check out but overall let’s keep exploring. 

Your Independent Grocery Store is Important

Access to food is one of our basic human needs. In some areas, people live without one of these locally-owned grocery stores, in what is now called a “food desert.” This is an area that lacks easy access to the healthy foods found in a grocery store. They are generally areas with high poverty rates and long walking or driving distances to reach the store.

Thanks to independent grocery stores like yours, most Americans have easy access to food and water. Before all the big box stores, our local grocers provided for all our basic needs. That is a pretty huge job.

Independent grocery stores also build and strengthen communities. They are employers that create a sense of neighborhood and culture, the kind of feeling you don’t get at the local superstore. They host community bulletin boards, buy locally sourced meats and vegetables from nearby farmers, and build long-lasting bonds with shoppers and community members.

IT Retail is Here to Support You

IT Retail started out in business 25 years ago as grocers, just like you. When a new supercenter starts building down the block or a competitor acquires new technology, don’t worry. We understand that things move fast within the industry. Today, inventory management robots can scan store shelves, and no-lane checkout and camera tracking exist with Amazon Prime accounts. With IT Retail, you can keep up with and outpace the new competition. 

Adapt to Technology and Grow

Maintaining your store’s character, and not looking and feeling like one of those ubiquitous grocery store chains, is important to you and your customers. That personality and flair will not be squelched when you update to IT Retail’s solutions.

Instead, you will maintain your distinct reputation for high-quality groceries and a neighborhood feel, while you migrate to the latest technology. This will help you maintain and grow your local market share, as you transition into a POS platform that makes you stand out in-service capability.

IT Retail’s POS Platform

Innovation should drive your decisions unless you want to fall to the competition. When you adopt new technology, optimize store formats and use data to succeed, you can overcome the limitations of modern point of sale systems. They, unfortunately, do not include the data and features you need to regain control of the grocer industry.

IT Retail offers the industry standard for a grocery POS, and its full development platform gives you the ability to complete full customization. Your tech department will have full software access to each product ring, customer add, cash drawer open and other data. The platform is fully open, meaning you can scale up or out as you choose. You can extend your functionality in any way you dream and get valuable insights for your store.

 We are talking about infinite scalability. The platform is, first, easy to work with for developers. Ninety percent of front-end functionality can be extended. You can send dashboard sales data to the web, have full integration with a different payment platform, and capture security logs.

The features you build with the IT Retail platform are yours, they are completely owned by you. That means you can customize your own build and deploy it without any interference, to your own competitive advantage. Your ingenuity and creativity are your only limitations.

 

Schedule a Demo Today

Schedule your free demo today to see how we can help you expand your technology and become a top competitor. Provide an email address and we will get you set up to realize why IT Retail’s POS functionality is world-class. We are customer-focused, built by grocers and we provide a complete solution.

 

Key Points 

• It’s hard to keep up with ever-evolving technology like Amazon Go stores. Customers are looking for an efficient checkout experience 
• Your independent grocery store is crucial to your community, as well as your store’s character. 
• IT Retail’s POS platform can keep your store’s character while expanding your technology and keeping up with the competition. 
• Our POS platform allows for full-scale customization, with infinite scalability.
• IT Retails POS platform is easy to work with, and the features you build are 100% yours. We are here to help your store grow, with your vision in mind. 
• Schedule a demo today to learn how IT Retail can help your store become a lead technological competitor. 

Summary: To keep up with the changing grocery industry, it is crucial to pay attention to the trends. With the rise of e-commerce, customers are looking for more shopping options, faster delivery, and self-checkout options. Grocers also need to pay close attention to their product quality, inventory, and customer data. IT Retail can help your store reach its goals! 

 

Recent years have seen innovation in the grocery industry driven largely by pandemic restrictions. As these restrictions ease, some of their effects linger. Particularly, in how consumers to shop and what they expect from their stores.

 

New challenges have also arisen, however. Recent developments have also caused supply-chain disruptions and inflation to increase across the world, and labor shortages may present the biggest challenge to grocers outside of these two areas. Ultimately, the ability to handle all of these issues has come down to increasing innovation and e-commerce solutions.

 

We are in the business of helping grocers prepare their businesses for success, and to find solutions for any problems that may arise. To help understand what trends and challenges may be faced this year, here are 8 trends that will define the grocery industry in 2022.

1. Demand for premium products continues to rise

Record high inflation might seem like it would cause shoppers to solely seek out cheaper options, but premium food options are continuing to see increased popularity. This trend is also present across many if not all categories. Across many different food categories, including beverages like alcohol and coffee, and even items like spices, premium options are still steadily gaining speed in the market.

 

Current observations suggest that while people may have reduced their instances of eating outside of their homes, they still desire a high-quality experience at home. This can help explain that while almost every category has seen growth in the premium section, meals (packaged and prepared) are where the most growth is seen.

2. Meal services become more popular, and efficient

As mentioned before, the pandemic has caused more people than ever to seek at-home food options, rather than eating out at a restaurant. While this has seen an increase in many food categories, one service that has also seen a rise is prepared meal services.

 

Services like HelloFresh are a good example of this, offering ingredients and instructions for a meal in a convenient package. The global market for meal kit delivery services was valued at 15.21 billion USD in 2021, and that number is only expected to increase over the next decade. On top of new companies coming into the space, grocers have also taken it upon themselves to upgrade their food service offerings.

 

While this may present another avenue for grocers to find customers and profits, new infrastructure and staffing concerns will be involved. In 2022, this may mean that we see more grocery chains add culinary capabilities to their stores, adding proper kitchens and staff to prepare meals on-site and have them picked up or delivered.

3. Faster Delivery Times

Speaking of delivery, 2020 and 2021 saw quick delivery options for customers increase to serve new online shopping demand. More people may be returning to stores in person, but for those who are still utilizing online shopping tools, quick delivery is an important feature.

 

This phenomenon is often referred to as “quick commerce” and customer expectations for how quick that is are increasing. Many customers are now expecting delivery within 30 minutes or are otherwise dissatisfied.

 

This means that grocers will be continuing to innovate in how they achieve the fastest delivery times for their customers. Partnering with services like DoorDash or Instacart has been a popular option for grocers not wanting to create their own infrastructure. New startups may also enter the scene, promising to achieve faster times than ever, or helping stores to build their own ecosystems.

4. Self-Checkout and Automation help fight worker shortage

Another trend spawned by the pandemic that is still an issue is hiring difficulties. Retail positions have been continuously losing appeal to workers, and so all retailers, even grocers, are having difficulty keeping their staff maintained.

 

To combat this phenomenon, companies may turn to more traditional options like self-checkout terminals, while adopting more sophisticated tools that use AI. Self-checkout can help provide service while moving the staff you do have to other essential roles that are not as simply covered.

 

Meanwhile, AI solutions could help streamline warehouse operations and even revolutionize how stock is managed on the selling floor. 2022 may see many innovations in the grocery technology space, as AI technology helps automate warehouse logistics and even manage inventory on the selling floor.

5. Customer data becomes even more relevant

Online shopping has meant that companies have access to more customer data than ever before. Simply having the data on hand is not enough to make it useful, however, so 2022 will be another year where businesses seek to improve the ways they utilize customer data.

 

Online and offline shopping both have their advantages and disadvantages, when it comes to online shopping, one big advantage for many shoppers is the more personalized experience. An e-commerce platform can be more tailored to an individual customer than a physical store, reminding customers of previous purchases, suggesting new purchases to accompany their old ones, etc.

 

A big challenge that data analysis can help address is supply chain and inventory issues. As shelves see more items have long absences off of shelves, being able to supply appropriate substitutions, and communicating when items are out of stock is important for customers.

6. More grocers adopt retail media networks

Another area where customer data will become more relevant is in retail media networks. With all of the data companies have access to, retail media networks are being increasingly adopted to help leverage this information into more monetization,

 

Bigger grocery chains like Kroger’s have been building their own retail media networks in-house, but many e-commerce firms are offering their services to help grocers leverage their information for increased performance.

 

Smaller grocers may not understand the appeal or desire the technology necessary to maintain these networks, but as the larger chains roll out these solutions in 2022, these networks may be more reasonably deployed at scale.

 

Retail media networks are a beneficial relationship to both the brands advertised and the stores where they are present. Brands can use customer data they might not otherwise have access to, and grocery stores can use the advertising funds to help recoup losses or make new investments in the business.

7. E-commerce helps B2B sales flourish

On top of the many other benefits, e-commerce has already provided to grocers, making more specialty services like B2B feasible has been a big advancement. Smaller grocers may not have had the experience or infrastructure necessary to coordinate B2B transactions, but with online platforms, it is easier than ever for anyone to order and interact with your grocery store, and that includes business customers.

 

There are some things to consider before pursuing this trend, however. Acting as a wholesaler or pursuing more business customers will call for a shift in your inventory. Business customers will typically look for larger individual sizes on top of bulk orders, meaning that you will need to consider your storage space, as well as your product offerings.

 

Staffing will also be important, as you should still have people on hand who can promote your service and develop local relationships. This investment in both time and money may be greatly worth your while, as the result will be reliable customers making regular bulk purchases.

8. Inventory management innovations will be crucial

Inventory management has always been an essential part of running a grocery store, but with all of the new challenges proposed by supply-chain disruption and newly formed customer habits, inventory management is facing more hurdles than ever. Fortunately, e-commerce solutions have provided help yet again for businesses.

 

Getting new inventory or vendors into your store, especially when considering new sources and substitutions to help satisfy customers missing certain items, making the process simple and painless is important. Not to mention being able to coordinate all the inventory coming in and out when delivery services are thrown into the mix will also present a bit of a challenge.

 

Inflation will also mean that prices will shift dramatically and making sure you and your customers are informed of stock and price changes occurring in the store as quickly as possible is important to maintaining an efficient business. IT Retail’s POS solutions have been formed to achieve just this. Quickly and conveniently being able to report product movement and price changes allow businesses the flexibility they need to handle the new challenges that 2022 offers.

 

 

2022 will provide many challenges, IT Retail is here to help

The trends we feel are going to dominate 2022 are still largely left over from waning pandemic restrictions. Customer online shopping habits will still make e-commerce a necessary investment for grocers, and handling all of this newly gathered data will be a challenge for inexperienced business owners.

 

Responding to labor shortages and finding new ways to diversify customer engagement and profit generation will also be important. For giant chain corporations, leading this charge may not be difficult, as time and resources are essentially limitless, but these changes will not spare smaller grocers and adaptation will be key.

 

IT Retail has made it our goal to assist independent grocers of any size in streamlining their business processes and developing their e-commerce capabilities. If you are looking ahead to 2022 and could use a hand in facing these challenges head-on, visit our site and learn how our services are right for you. We understand the value of your time and money, so you can even request a demo to see just how we can make the perfect partner for your business.

 

Key Points: 

• Grocery stores are constantly having to navigate changes. Between a post-pandemic world and supply chain changes, grocers need to know what to expect in 2022. 
• Customers are looking for premium products. While people are less likely to eat out, they are more likely to get high-quality food in grocery stores. 
• Customers are also looking for this high-quality food to be delivered to their door. Many services deliver meal kits to customers, and grocers can also hop on the trend. 
• In 2020 and 2021, there was a large uptick in customers using delivery services like Doordash. Customers are looking for grocers to not only provide delivery options but also efficient delivery (in 30 minutes or less). 
• To combat the labor shortage in 2021, grocers turned to self-checkout kiosks. This trend has continued and is a growing expectation for customers. 
• As e-commerce has grown in popularity, grocers are getting a wealth of knowledge with customer data. In 2022, grocers are looking to use this data to optimize their store and customer experience.
• Grocers will also work with other businesses with the help of their e-commerce growth. This will help grocers make more bulk sales and extend their network. 
• With each of these new trends, keeping inventory in order is crucial. Having the right data and tools is vital to keeping your store running smoothly – making inventory tracking a priority in 2022.
• IT Retail knows what it takes to follow the trends in this ever-changing industry, which is why we are here to help. Schedule a demo today to learn how IT Retail can bring your store online and upgrade your customer experience. 

As of April 2020, the turnover rate for all retail businesses was 58.3%. This high number was even greater for part-time and non-management employees; at one point this number surpassed 60%. These figures pose difficulties for grocery store managers and owners. 

 

Having high turnover rates can be a huge setback for grocers wanting to advance their business. In the supermarket industry, these changes cost employers on average $190,000 a year. This is not to say that small businesses/local grocers are plagued by the same high costs and turnover issues. However, it is safe to say that all grocers would like to keep their turnover rates as low as possible and retain great employees as long as possible.

 

It is fairly common sense to imagine the reasons for high turnover rates in grocery stores, especially for young employees:

• Low wages
• Poor benefits
• Poor work-life balance
• Feeling underappreciated and unhappy in the role
• No opportunities for advancement

 

Here are the 5 top tips for grocery store companies to retain their workforce:

1. Attract Like-Minded Young Talent

Before having the opportunity to retain good employees, one has to find the right ones. This may be a long-form strategy, but it will be rewarding in the grand scheme. Attracting the best talent is a big challenge in an industry known for employees ending up in roles as the last resort.

 

Not to worry, this does not mean that your business has to suffer the same fate. Knowing your company’s vision, selling recruits on it, and being open and honest in the process will help attract the right people. Talented young people can be excited by a good company culture, ethical and sustainable practices, and even industry-leading technologies and novel ways of doing business. The right people may not realize that all of these opportunities exist within the world of grocery retail. 

2. Have Flexibility with Time Off, Leave, and Breaks

It may sound counterproductive, but seasoned investors know that investing early on will be rewarding in the long term. This is why progressive HR tactics like raising wages, providing insurance coverage, and providing plenty of time for rest are good ideas. They will eventually save you money because studies have shown that the cost of filling vacancies after turnover can end up being 75-150% of the role’s annual pay.

 

Paid time off, family leave, and substantial breaks can be major selling points but also reasons to stay. Without these crucial benefits, your employees’ mental health can also suffer, leading to employees choosing to part ways.

 

One company that has been a benchmark for keeping turnover rates low is Trader Joe’s. Significant differences in HR policies compared to other competitors have kept them as one of the leaders in this regard. However, good wages and benefits haven’t been the sole reason behind their success. Other cultural and value considerations have led to their good employee retention.

3. Be Open To Dialogue to Change

Employees do not want to work in an environment where they don’t feel like they align with the values and direction of the company. This is why employers must be open, first, to listening to the ideas and feedback of all of their employees. Then, you must be willing to compromise on company culture and work towards changing to meet the desires of your employees. This shows a commitment to your workers and establishes a rapport.

 

Alternative points of view are what keep companies growing and thriving. For this reason, it is highly favorable to hire people with these mindsets, particularly “younger workers who may come from other industries, tap into other channels when it comes to purchase decision-making, or have a better grasp on the attitudes of their demographic.”

4. Create an Infrastructure for Career Development

The last thing that an employee wants is to get stuck in a position that has no opportunity for advancement. It is often cited as the top reason for employees to want to quit their job.

 

Young people are changing jobs at a higher rate than ever. They are looking for career advancement, and when companies are unable to offer any prospect of that, they look for something new. For this reason, establishing leadership positions, promotions, and internships/marketing roles could be one way to retain employees and keep them happy. George Goodwin, of Goodwin’s Organics, says “for the past 7 years, this has been the main way of getting interns for my family store Goodwin’s organics.” Having an infrastructure that keeps employees engaged and feeling like they are advancing is key to employee retention.

5. Invest in Technology to Support Your Business

As mentioned previously, new technology can be a major selling point for recruiting younger demographics. Having good technology can make one’s work experience run a lot smoother, have the ability to identify chances for raises or promotions, and predict when employees might want to leave. IT Retail POS system tacking on cashier is a good identifier. On the physical store side, to the HR analytics side, state-of-the-art technology offers grocers the chance to retain good workers. 

Bonus –

6. Entice and Retain Gen Z 

One of the best places to find young talent is with social media. Nearly 3.5 people worldwide use some type of social media, and 73% of young job seekers found their most recent job through social media. Using job sites like LinkedIn and Indeed is a must, but it is also important to show your culture on social media like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. 

 

With social media, you can show what your company is all about, and improve your reputation with the younger generation. George Goodwin, Grocery Marketing Director at IT Retail, has recruited 85% of IT Retails marketing interns through social media. Goodwin has also noticed that companies with strong company culture have a higher retention rate. 

 

You can also entice and retain Gen Z by updating your store’s and company’s aesthetics. This could not only include your store’s logo to be more modern but updating your interior design to be more modern and aesthetically pleasing. This could encourage the younger generation to pay more attention to what your store has to offer, not only in its services but in employment. 

 

 

 

How IT Retail Can Help

At IT Retail, we are all about innovating technology that makes everyday transactions as effortless as possible. We have the POS software to prove it. For more information, connect for a quote today!

 

Wrapping up 

With the surplus of people leaving their retail jobs, we know it can be a stressful and concerning time for grocers. It’s important to pay attention to the main reasons employees are leaving. Offer what other companies are not to attract and maintain quality employees. 

 

Many employees are leaving because of low wages and poor benefits. Offer flexibility with requesting time off, and reward employees with regular wage increases/promotions. Encourage a healthy work-life balance and listen to your employee’s complaints and suggestions. Overall, remind your employees of how much you value them, and show your appreciation through benefits and communication. 

Summary: To fight the Great Resignation, grocers must cater to employee needs like higher pay, better benefits, and communication. By updating their hiring process and upgrading their technology with the help of IT Retail, grocers can expand their team of employees. 

Key Takeaway Points

• The turnover rate for retailers is roughly 58%
• Many employees cite low pay, poor benefits, uncertain schedules, and poor advancement opportunities for leaving such positions
• Employers can help reduce turnover by attracting the right talent
• Employers should respect workers’ time and ensure they have adequate time to themselves for breaks, vacation, and leave
• Good employers are willing to talk with employees to learn how to improve
• Employers should set up workers for success by making it clear how to advance
• Employers should prioritize innovative technology

 

 Our system is designed to be used by grocery stores, and our team is always there to help you, feel free to email our marketing director george@itretail.com.  See how well your store could be functioning with our POS system by signing up for a free demo also learn about our new tipping feature coming soon.

From consumer demand to the latest in checkout technology, knowing is half the battle when it comes to running your grocery business. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of eight respected sources to keep you abreast of industry happenings, trends, and more. Read on to see what you may be missing! 

“Trendy” may not be the first thought that comes to mind when picturing the grocery industry: Grocers build their businesses by supplying their local communities with nourishment, diversity of foods, and a positive shopping experience—but keeping on top of business trends is vital for grocery industry professionals. 

 

From consumer demand to the latest in checkout technology, knowing is half the battle when it comes to running your grocery business. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of eight respected sources to keep you abreast of industry happenings, trends, and more. Read on to see what you may be missing! 

 

The Shelby Report

An industry favorite for a reason, The Shelby Report is a respected and long-running grocery news outlet with a range of available information. They have an extremely navigable website and a selection of different categories to choose from. 

 

In addition to an e-newsletter, this grocery news source also offers five distinct regional magazines featuring laser-focused news for your local area trends. Whether you’re looking for wholesale information or single-store trends, this industry leader has your back. 

 

Progressive Grocer 

If a century-long record of delivering trusted news is on your shopping list, then Progressive Grocer is a can’t-miss outlet for you. This grocery news titan describes itself as “the voice of the retail food industry since 1922,” but is anything but outdated. 

 

They seek to provide quality information for key decision makers from store-level management to corporate leaders. With categories like, “research” and “ecommerce,” their newsletter provides both varied and useful information for your business. 

National Grocers Association Newsletters

More than just industry news, the newsletters offered by the National Grocers Association are a must for any grocery industry professional. Their “Express Lane” newsletter offers a snapshot on industry trends, while their more education-focused offerings will give you a leg-up on employee development. 

 

The most indispensable resource offered here, though, are their alert newsletters! The NGA tracks food recalls issued by manufacturers and distributors, and their Food Recall Alert will make sure that you’re informed and able to keep your customers safe. 

Grocery Dive

A well-rounded newsite with an excellent research-centric focus, Grocery Dive supplies high-level grocery journalism. Operated by Industry Dive, the editorial team for this grocery news outlet has plenty of experience in getting to the bottom of industry issues. 

 

From shopper behavior research to data on ecommerce, pricing, omnichannel and more, Grocery Dive offers industry news to build your brand. They also offer chain-specific information regarding earnings, changes, and announcements—allowing you to keep your business ahead of the big-box competition. 

Supermarket News

With a strong focus on brand-specific announcements, Supermarket News is one of our favorite sources for competitor research. Their team of editors and journalists are committed to providing objective, rounded reports on the latest announcements.

They provide ongoing coverage of hot topics like grocers unions, contestation of swipe fees, earnings reports, and more—giving you an “insider” edge. Keep abreast of your competitions’ activity and stay ahead of the curve by subscribing to their newsletter. 

 

 

Food Dive

Grocery Dive’s sister publication, Food Dive, is another great source of information for those in the industry. This site provides the same high-quality news, but takes a more product-centered approach. 

 

By looking at food manufacturers, CPGs, and overall food supply trends, Food Dive will keep you in-the-know regarding the various products your store is offering to consumers. Every good retailer knows their products, and food supply news is a great place to start. 

Winsight Grocery Business

With an extremely customizable newsletter selection. Winsight Grocery Business is a strong resource for hand-picked articles that pertain to your needs. You can select a daily or weekly newsletter frequency, and then choose articles you’re interested in from topics such as foodservice at retail, CBD marketing, and many more. 

 

If you’re short on time, their site offers a weekly overview called “The Scan” to help you get all of your information in one place! 

IT Retail Blog

Last but not least, why not subscribe to the blog you’re reading right now?  More than just your partner in point-of-sale technology, IT Retail provides the public with top-tier grocery news. 

George Goodwin, a third-generation grocer, manages our blog with his content writing team and takes an unbiased approach to providing research-driven news about industry tech and trends. At IT Retail, we know grocers and their businesses, and our dedication to doing right by them shines through in our quality posts. From informative articles to investment suggestions, this is a one-stop shop for grocery news. 

 

While we don’t operate any other blogs listed here—and can’t speak for them—we can guarantee that this is one news outlet that will never send you spam or junk emails for signing up! Our newsletter is sent out bi-weekly, but be advised that not all of the blogs on this list follow the same “no-spam” standard.