Retail shopping is swiftly changing as the calendar rolls out into December, and consumers can start anticipating what grocery shopping will look like in 2019.
Retailers are trying to disrupt the traditional ways of shopping and making every possible move to offer delivery, convenience, unique customer experience, which can make or break their store.
The competition to be the best is pushing some retailers into bankruptcy and others on an upward trend with growing sales.
Howmuch.pk has gathered 5 things that you should expect in retail industry and most them are inn technology.
Related: 8 habits for grocery shopping that you can learn from other countries
More online grocery shopping
Despite the fact that online grocery shopping is only 2 to 4.3 % of the total grocery shopping, industry experts are positive that the online grocery will increase to 20% of the total by 2025.
In Pakistan’s metropolitan cities, people are moving towards online grocery shopping and prefer to do a part of their grocery shopping via online delivery channels.
This includes ordering online to pick-up at store and delivery at home. Experts says that social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram will help people convince to shop for groceries online.
Related: Biggest grocery trends of 2019 that you need know
Voice Retail
In US and some European countries, people would increasingly pick up voice shopping through their smartphones such as Amazon devices and vehicles.
Consumers in Alexa’s enabled devices are already purchasing their monthly and weekly grocery, home appliances, and utilities, through Amazon and Whole Foods Market.
Other retailers are planning to join the bandwagon and we can expect the increase in voice retail shopping in 2019.
Related: Howmuch.pk: click and pick-up grocery service in Islamabad
More Private Labels
In 2018, consumers have shown great confidence on private labels and it has turned out to be a successful venture.
Numerous retailer in the US such as Target, Kroger, Walmart and Amazon have introduced private labeling this year and has received positive response from consumers.
So we can expect, retailers in Pakistan will introduce private labels in coming years and develop a trust level among customers.
Related: 6 foods that will keep you warm in winter season
Growth in Artificial Intelligence
Increasing numbers of retailers have started to use artificial intelligence to learn customer purchasing preferences and market trends.
The technology has become extremely important for retailers to upsell without a physical salesperson.
Some of the retailers such as Stitch fix and Kidbox have used AI to study subscriber data to suggest products that are relevant to customers and increase the probability to make a conversion.
Related: How to save money in online grocery shopping?
More interactive aisles
One of the major change one can expect to see in 2019 are the interactive aisles across different countries.
As consumers habits and purchasing preferences are shifting, retailers are scrambling to find ways to draw customers into the stores.
In 2019, augmented reality and virtual reality is expected to get a strong foothold in large and medium sized retail stores.
Kettering-based Marxent has developed augmented reality technology for Macy’s to show how furniture could look without have to purchase the items.
“Those who haven’t invested in AR as of yet are going to…probably spend 2019 scrambling to catch up,” said Beck Besecker, Founder and CEO of Marxent.
Related: Here's how online shopping will look in next 10 years
It’s a matter of time that these changes will transform the online retailing scene in Pakistan’s major cities. But sooner or later we can expect more technology prone retail shopping experience in Pakistan.
