The grocery industry has always had certain challenges. Navigating issues like inflation to ensure operational efficiency — and profitability — is nothing new.

What is new is the variety of solutions for grocers to select from. 

There’s a dazzling array of new technologies, and exactly what is most useful and appropriate varies from grocer to grocer. But those who aspire to absolute operational efficiency — with an appetite for benefits such as 90%+ accuracy in forecasting — will all have a very specific shopping list. 

And here it is.

Innovation begins with a large amount of data processing. The more effectively you draw insights from your data, the more effective your decision-making becomes (not to mention quicker). All of which drives efficiency that you can instantly measure across KPIs, such as item availability, stockouts, positive substitutions, and post-sub availability. 

The more insights you have the more you can empower oversight — real, holistic, integrated oversight. Cloud-based software solutions allow you to blend order, inventory, and omnichannel fulfillment systems. The result: a fully connected data ecosystem that lets you see the present, past, and future more clearly — with measurable improvements in downtime, accuracy, and cost of substitutions.

Many grocers don’t realize how much inefficiency there is in their current picking and packing operations. For smart grocers, combining automated goods-to-person processes with a fully automated warehouse solution provides a streamlined approach. The more precise you are, the more frictionless and waste-free your operations will be, keeping consumers happy, quality high, sustainability targets on track, and profits up. But it’s not just about equipment such as robotics and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Adopting a future-facing strategy (with elements such as dark stores and micro-fulfilment) will supercharge efficiency.

Different businesses have different objectives and budgets. But if you’re serious about efficiency and e-grocery — and want to avoid the pitfalls of a high-cost labor market — your investment shopping list needs to include automation and data-powered decision-making.

Keep in mind, it’s not only about the automation itself. It’s absolutely vital to partner with experts who know how to bring your operations together with minimal disruption and can provide built-in scalability and 24/7 support for you to hit new levels of efficiency.

And make your business irresistible.