Phononic Survey Reveals Consumers’ Preferences for the Grocery “Store of the Future”

Study reveals half of Americans say that grocery stores haven’t figured out how to use technology

DURHAM, N.C.--()--Phononic, the global leader in solid state cooling that is breaking the boundaries of semiconductor innovation, today announced the findings of a study that revealed consumers’ grocery shopping preferences. Phononic surveyed 1,100 adults across the United States to understand the current retail landscape, and the services shoppers would like grocery stores to offer in the future.

“As eCommerce innovation continues to disrupt brick-and-mortar retail in response to consumers’ desire for a more convenient and personalized shopping experience, traditional retailers are adapting to stay relevant,” said Tony Atti, Founder and CEO, Phononic. “Refrigerators and freezers have long been warehoused in the back of the store, but cooling innovation will realize distributed solutions that feature healthier food options at checkout, more efficient store layouts and additional impulse purchases. By embracing new technology, retailers will improve consumers’ shopping experiences, and ultimately survive – and thrive – in this increasingly competitive landscape.”

The study revealed several common preferences among consumers, including the desire for increased convenience and more options for refrigerated and frozen foods, particularly at the checkout.

Intelligent Technology

  • 50% say that grocery stores haven’t yet figured out how to use technology like other retailers have.
  • More than 75% would be likely to use smart technology in a refrigerated unit to find recipes or the right food/wine pairings.

Convenience

  • Most shoppers (89%) want to shop in a grocery store that understands how to make buying groceries an easier and/or more efficient experience, and 92% say it’s important that the layout of the store makes it easy to find things.
  • 64% say they would be more likely to buy products if they were shown together, such as chips and dip or cheese with the crackers.
  • 77% agree that with stand-alone freezers, they’d prefer them to be more at their height instead of reaching down into them.

More Checkout Options

  • 68% say if grocery stores had new products at checkout, they would be more likely to try them.
  • 59% would buy more at the checkout line if there were healthier options, and 46% say grocery stores should have more frozen and/or refrigerated options at checkout.

Temperature Control and Safety

  • 92% say it’s important that there is consistent temperature control for all cold products, and 74% say grocery stores should do a better job of letting consumers know that the refrigerated and/or frozen foods have been kept at a consistent temperature.
  • 63% sometimes worry that the food they buy may not be safe and/or clean.
  • 78% say there’s nothing worse than getting what they think is a cold beverage, but it’s not cold enough and/or too cold or frozen.

Environmentally Friendly

  • 82% say it’s important that the store and/or chain is environmentally friendly and/or supports local growers/food producers.

For more information on the study, please visit: http://content.phononic.com/infographic/store-of-the-future.

Phononic is helping food and beverage brands and retailers to embrace the future, realize new business models, and offer improved customer experience. To learn more about Phononic’s revolutionary approach to commercial food and beverage refrigeration and freezing technology, please visit: https://phononic.com/commercial-refrigeration/.

About Phononic

Phononic’s unrivaled approach to solid state cooling is breaking the boundaries of semiconductor innovation to deliver unprecedented performance and sustainability across the globe. From disrupting refrigeration and freezing, to cooling pinhead-sized fiber optics, Phononic’s technology takes infinite forms to unseat the wasteful and unreliable cooling solutions of the past, which depend on bulky compressors, noisy fans and noxious gases simply not suited for the modern world. Phononic is transforming the way life-saving drugs and vaccines are protected, data is transmitted and food and beverages are sold, stored and transported. The company has been named to the 2016 and 2017 CNBC Disruptor 50 lists, received the US EPA’s 2017 Emerging Tech Award, R&D 100 Award and more. For more information visit www.phononic.com or follow us on Twitter @Phononic_Inc.

Contacts

PAN Communications
Ariel Novak, 617-502-4300
phononic@pancomm.com

Contacts

PAN Communications
Ariel Novak, 617-502-4300
phononic@pancomm.com