Grocery shopping is no longer a just a traditional food -- It is about the entire experience – which includes convenience/location, produce selection, prices, store layout and more. The shifting of shopping becoming a destination experience is one of hundreds of findings in What’s in Store 2018, the latest edition of the annual trends publication from the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA), and What’s in Store Online, a collection of over 150 downloadable graphs and tables, as well as links to white papers and trends articles.

Other findings in the book’s “Channels and Competition” chapter include:

• Creating an experience strengthens customer loyalty.
• Retailers, that reflect the communities they serve, appeal more to today’s shoppers. “Localism” is a dominant theme to help communities feel connected.
• Top grocery trends for 2017, cited by John Karolefski, lean toward greater digital engagement, greater access to variety of produce and product information, and meal kit options.
• Almost 45% of Millennials identify as ethnic or multicultural, making the generation the most diverse in US history, with food purchasing decisions no longer based on their lineage or familial customs.

“Multiculturalism is growing in the US and it’s changing the way food retailers and manufacturers look at consumer buying behaviors,” said Eric Richard, education coordinator, IDDBA. “The result is a blurring of lines separating ethnic consumer demographics. Retailers in tune with consumer shopping patterns can provide innovative solutions on the changing palates of today’s shoppers.”

With more than 30 years of credible reporting, What’s in Store is an essential resource for dairy, deli, bakery, foodservice, and cheese departments and industries, providing vital data on retail and market trends, growth, and category changes shaping the food industry. What’s in Store is a secondary resource that is developed through both interviews with industry experts and sourcing third-party data and trends. (A complete listing of sources can be found here.)

This year’s edition again features a continuous storyline to improve user efficiency and provide greater clarity for professionals needing to understand today’s retail world. Through five themes, readers gain new insights and learn about marketplace influences. They are:

• The Economy & Retail Trends
• Channels and Competition
• Consumer Lifestyles
• Eating Trends

This themed narrative is carried into each of the product chapters: Bakery, Cheese, Dairy, and Deli. The new format, exclusive interview content, and inclusion of key insights, table interpretations, data callouts, and testimonials enable the reader to more efficiently tie back to the broader context and then dig deeper in each of the product sections.

Additionally, What’s in Store 2018 features: redesigned tables; infographics that inform readers why the data matters; key insights; more original expert interviews; and more graphics to illustrate best-in-class examples.

IDDBA members receive a free copy of What’s in Store 2018 as part of their membership. Additional copies can be purchased for $99 (member rate) or $399 (nonmember rate). To purchase one or multiple copies, click here. To learn more about IDDBA membership, click here.

Source: IDDBA