WASHINGTON -- The ongoing change in consumers’ eating habits was dubbed one of the biggest trends in retail for the new year by the Washington Post.
“We’ll see new tactics from grocery stores and convenience stores. These chains see a business opportunity in changing eating habits,” the newspaper said about its No. 4 “hot topic in retail in 2016.”
Older millennials—many of whom are now parents—are pulling back on expensive meals out the newspaper reported, while low-price dining options such as McDonald’s have felt strain as diners focus on eating healthily.
“There’s a gap in the market as the fast-food industry struggles to reinvent itself,” Shilpa Rosenberry, a retail strategist at consultancy Daymon Worldwide, told the newspaper.
As a result, the consultancy is predicting that grocers and convenience stores “will unleash a barrage of new marketing, products and services to fill that gap and win your dining dollars.” Rosenberry said she expects “hyper-personalized” meals and snacks at these stores, such as items that cater not only to gluten-free and vegan eaters, but to those who are doing so-called “DNA-based diets” that are customized for their unique makeup.
Retail stores will start taking queues from boutique restaurants “by adding secret menus, secret entrances and other special perks for in-the-know customers. The hope would be that this helps build customer loyalty by making a trip to the grocery store feel a bit more like a fun experience instead of a routine errand.”
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