A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

May 31, 2018

If retailers could know exactly how shoppers will behave a decade from now, they would have an infinitely easier time preparing for business success 10 years down the road. Unfortunately, there is no magic looking glass for the future of retail.

However, given what we know about shifting lifestyles and the impact of technology on daily life, we can make some educated guesses into how shoppers will behave in 2025. If nothing else, speculating on the future of retail helps us consider what we should start changing now to serve shoppers’ needs down the line.

Surviving the Brave New World of Food Retailing, the newest study from the Coca‑Cola Retailing Research Council of North America, offers tools to get that conversation started. The study examines how companies can remain relevant to tomorrow’s shoppers, and it provides discussion materials to help retailers make future-focused decisions.

For example, the study begins with a scenario highlighting how a working couple in 2025 will come up with meal ideas or even plan a simple shopping trip. While there’s no telling how accurate this vignette will prove to be, it is certainly one worth considering. The scenario, titled “Meet the Gardners,” and the rest of the report can be downloaded for free here.