How COVID-19 Will Change The Canadian Grocery Industry Forever?

When the pandemic hit, virtually every industry had to adapt. As a necessary part of everyday life, The Canadian Grocery Industry Forever did not have to close their doors. However, they had to change to facilitate safe shopping. Some of these changes will have lasting effects on Canadian grocery retail.

Canadian grocery industry forever

Online ordering

Perhaps the most significant lasting change coming to Canadian grocery stores is online shopping. Unlike other retail sectors, the food industry did not fully embrace e-commerce before the pandemic. Now the industry has embraced it and it’s too convenient a tool to give up after COVID-19. Consumers with a busy schedule will continue to use online services for these benefits. This demand will encourage Canadian grocery chains to maintain their e-commerce services well into the future.

Adoption of robotics

Many industries relied on robotics before the pandemic, but not grocery stores. However, with capacity constraints and higher cleanliness requirements, major food retailers have turned to automation. Now that these stores have already invested in robotics and seen its potential, they will continue to use it. Robots can clean aisles while workers focus on other tasks, such as helping customers find what they need.

Fewer trips, but higher expenses

Consumers said they shopped less often during the pandemic, but grocery spending did not drop. This way of shopping can save customers money in the long run, and now that they know, grocery stores can capitalize on it. Many retail companies around the world had already adopted this business model before the pandemic.

Contactless checkout

High-touch shared surfaces fell out of fashion amid the pandemic due to health concerns. Even after COVID-19 subsides, people may still have lingering concerns about how easily germs can spread in traditional checkout processes. As a result, the Canadian grocery industry will continue to add more contactless checkout options. Contactless solutions, such as paying with smartphone apps or an Amazon Go-style system, are both convenient and secure.

Supply chain resilience

COVID-19 has revealed how fragile the food supply chain is. For example, Canada’s reliance on large consolidated suppliers led to substantial disruptions during the pandemic. Food supply chains will look different after COVID. Companies will source products from a more distributed network to avoid future outages. Similarly, more grocery stores will turn to technology to enable real-time tracking and provide greater visibility.

Falling tip

Many sectors have embraced remote work amid the pandemic and will continue to rely on it beyond. While grocery store workers can’t work remotely, the industry will still experience lingering changes from the work-from-home revolution. Most notably, what were once peak hours for grocery shopping will begin to decline as consumers have more flexible schedules. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, grocery stores, like many retailers, saw significant increases in traffic on the weekends when most people shopped.

Conclusion

The pandemic has been remarkably disruptive for Canadian grocery retailers, but not all of these changes are negative. Grocery stores will emerge stronger from COVID-19 having learned some crucial lessons about efficiency, resilience and customer service.