Tech Trends, Product Innovations and the Future of Grocery Merchandising
In today’s dynamic grocery retail landscape, merchandising has evolved beyond eye-catching store displays and promotions. It’s now a critical business strategy integral to operational efficiency, cost management and consumer engagement.
In other words, as grocery retailers face shifting consumer habits, ongoing supply chain disruptions and escalating operational costs, choosing the right merchandising hardware solutions has become a strategic imperative.
[RELATED: 76th Consumer Expenditures Study - Meet the 2025 Shopper]
Understanding Shopper Behavior
The supermarket aisle has always been a battleground for consumer attention. Today, this battle intensifies as grocers compete not only with traditional rivals, but also with online marketplaces and delivery services. Merchandising — including fixture design, product positioning and signage — significantly influences shopper decisions and buying behaviors.
Research indicates that impulse purchases can account for up to 62% of supermarket sales, with certain product categories reaching as high as 80%. This underscores the importance of strategic product placement and engaging signage in driving sales and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Innovations in Shelf and Display Hardware
Today's merchandising solutions must be adaptable, versatile and cost-effective to meet retailers’ evolving needs. As evidence of this trend, modular shelving and display systems are growing in popularity because they offer supermarkets the flexibility to reconfigure store layouts quickly in response to changing consumer preferences or seasonal demands.
For example, the global digital shelf label market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.8% from 2024 to 2030, highlighting the industry’s shift toward digital integration for pricing updates and promotions.
Cost vs. ROI: Making the Case for High-Quality Merchandising
Investing in premium merchandising hardware often involves higher initial costs but delivers substantial long-term financial returns. High-quality shelving systems and durable fixtures can significantly lower maintenance expenses and minimize the frequency of replacements, thus directly contributing to operational savings.
Additionally, strategically designed fixtures enhance product visibility and accessibility, increasing sales through improved shopper engagement. For instance, supermarkets that transition from traditional static shelves to dynamic, adaptable shelving solutions often report increased turnover rates for featured products due to better visibility and customer appeal. These incremental increases in sales volumes justify initial investments, often recouping costs within a relatively short timeframe.
Sustainability and Compliance: Essential Considerations for Grocers
Sustainability and regulatory compliance have become central concerns for retailers. Customers are increasingly environmentally conscious, demanding that grocers adopt eco-friendly practices, from reducing plastic waste to using sustainably sourced materials. Merchandising fixtures play a crucial role in addressing these concerns.
Notably, many top global grocery retailers have established sustainability functions, with some appointing chief sustainability officers. However, only a fraction of these retailers measure and incentivize personal performance against key sustainability indicators. This highlights the need for more tangible actions, such as adopting fixtures constructed from recyclable or sustainably sourced materials, to meet sustainability objectives without compromising durability or functionality.
Future Trends and Strategic Considerations
As grocery retailers look ahead, merchandising strategies must embrace digital integration, enhanced shopper analytics and increased automation. Smart shelving systems equipped with IoT (Internet of Things) technology can provide real-time insights into customer behavior, inventory levels and promotional effectiveness. These data-driven merchandising strategies enable retailers to optimize shelf space and product placement dynamically.
Moreover, grocery stores adopting advanced merchandising hardware solutions gain flexibility, helping them swiftly respond to market trends and consumer preferences. This ability to pivot quickly is critical in an industry facing unprecedented change driven by technology, evolving customer expectations and economic pressures.
Merchandising is no longer a supplementary retail consideration — it’s central to grocery retail success. Strategic investments in innovative shelving, display hardware and eco-friendly materials yield measurable returns, enhancing both operational efficiency and customer experience. As supermarkets navigate a competitive and increasingly regulated marketplace, selecting the right merchandising solutions becomes not just a business choice, but also a decisive competitive advantage.
