Trends

As only he can, RDBA CEO, Phil Lempert, kicked off the virtual experience with his annual trend forecast, making his predictions for the future based on two years of unprecedented change in retail and evolving consumer behaviors.

The global personalized nutrition market is gaining traction quickly and is expected to reach 3.56 billion by 2030. For retail companies to fully leverage this trend they must offer not only tailored products, but also detailed guidance that “connects the dots” between shoppers’ needs and store offerings.

It keeps getting harder for primary household shoppers to buy nutritionally and cost-efficiently in 2022. Bedeviled by out of stocks and higher prices on many of their preferred healthful foods, they now must learn about, find, and try budget-friendly nutritional substitutes to satisfyingly feed their families.

Last week’s article Trend Setting at Expo West shared insights from the show floor at this annual conference. This week, one of the authors -- Deanna Scheid, RD, Regional Health & Wellness Specialist at SpartanNash – shares insight on how retail dietitians can apply knowledge gained at a trade show once back in the office.

Over the past few years, consumers have been cooking at home more than ever, which, despite the circumstances, has been good news. Research shows that people who regularly eat home-cooked meals have healthier diets and they also save money and time. Keep your customer’s home cooking habits strong and drive sales for your stores by helping shoppers advance their meal planning skills with these educational ideas.

Expo West, the largest natural, organic, and “healthy” products event in the U.S. is a time to see vendors and learn about new trends and innovative products that will be hitting the market in the coming months.

While consumers are increasingly interested in buying products that are better for themselves and the environment, they often lack information and trust, or are just plain confused.

Recently, I received a request to do a 30-minute interview about retail perceptions and promotions of Blue Foods. After understanding that it wasn’t a focus on foods that are colored blue, I was intrigued. I accepted the interview to learn more.

While shopping for groceries online has become an important convenience for many individuals and families, for those with food allergies or medical dietary restrictions, some of the current systems may be a cause for concern. From a lack of nutrition information to incorrectly selected product substitutions, shopping online could be risky. 

Chief household food shoppers pummeled by inflation and the pandemic have reacted by shifting more of their budgets towards healthier rather than indulgent choices. They’re spending far more on produce, meat and frozen foods than in summer 2020, well beyond what inflationary hikes account for, reported RDBA’s 2022 Samplefest® presentation, “Meeting the Needs of Price-Conscious Shoppers.”