We are likely to see a change in food retailing and supermarket landscapes. Consumers and businesses are looking for ways to create easy and accessible shopping for everyone. But with the increased usage of smart technology integrated into the operations of supermarkets, what would this mean for our environment? Here are some videos which I found on the future of food retailing.
1. Robomart
Part of a new collaboration between Stop & Shop and Robomart, where an electronic self-driving car will bring the store to you and select your produce at your doorstep. Customers will be able to summon a vehicle via the app, unlock the vehicle’s doors, and hand-pick the items they want (Clugston, 2019). The vehicle then uses computer vision technology to record what you selected and automatically bill you.
Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? We don’t have to drive to the supermarket to get our grocery anymore! Without the need for us to travel to the supermarket, there would be fewer emissions from our transportation. But at the same time, these Robomarts are acting as “mobile refrigerators”. What do you think? Is Robomart good for the environment?
2. E-Grocery
There are a few stores that have adapted a micro-fulfilment centre within their retail outlets. For example, Habitat by Honest Bee in Singapore was an attempt to merge grocery shopping with dining (Honestbee.sg,2015). They utilised conveyor belts and automated collection points in their store. Even wet markets have adapted to e-grocery, for example, TADA Fresh Market is a platform that provides a next-day wet market delivery service in Singapore (Tadafresh, 2013).
Some benefits of having an online store for e-grocery, it could reduce the space required for the display of food in supermarkets. This could reduce the amount of refrigeration and water usage for the operations of supermarkets and wet markets. However, with the usage of smart technology and automation, there could be other forms of pollution generated such as an increase in the amount of water for the cooling of machines and increased energy usage and burning of fossil fuel.
Thus far, we have covered some marketing strategies of retailers as well as the operations of retailers. Next, we will explore more strategies of retailers, such as the type of packaging, aesthetics of food and when to dispose of food.
Trailing off,
Jade and Ridzuan
References
Clugston, E. (2019). Driverless, On-Demand Vehicles Will Bring The Grocery Store To You. [online] CleanTechnica. Available at: https://cleantechnica.com/2019/02/07/driverless-on-demand-vehicles-will-bring-the-grocery-store-to-you/ [Accessed 2 Oct. 2020].
Honestbee.sg. (2015). habitat by honestbee | See, feel & taste food at their freshest. [online] Available at: https://habitat.honestbee.sg/ [Accessed 2 Oct. 2020].
Tadafresh.com. (2013). About Shop Tekka Wet Market. [online] Available at: https://www.tadafresh.com/ [Accessed 2 Oct. 2020].
