Grocery in 2025

So far, 2025 is shaping up to be a wild ride for grocery tech.

For brands and marketers, it’ll be a year like nothing we’ve ever seen before.

2024 was the year of concepts and pilots.

We saw small pockets of frictionless checkout, robotic fulfillment and autonomous delivery.

And we saw innovative strategies emerge in 'fits and starts'.

But some of these concepts will actualize in a big way in 2025.

Here are 5 big changes you'll see in grocery this year:

𝟭. 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮-𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆.

Expect to see Amazon consolidate their delivery options into a single delivery experience.

Customers will be able to load a complete grocery shopping cart, just like they do on Instacart. 

This will include a consolidated basket for Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, and delivery partners like Weis and Bristol Farms.

𝟮. 𝗔𝗹𝗱𝗶 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝗴. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗶𝗴.

The retailer is on fire, with 800 new stores planned by 2028, putting it at 3,300 doors.

That would make it the second largest grocer behind Walmart, but the top pure play grocer by door count.

The Kroger-Albertsons merger as a contender is out.  Aldi is in.  

𝟯. 𝗠𝗲𝗶𝗷𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸-𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁.

How?  The grocer plans to expand it's delivery radius from 20 to 60 miles. 

(You can compare that to Walmart's 5-20 mi radius, depending on the area.)

That puts 4 million households within reach, putting Meijer on the delivery map.

𝟰. 𝗦𝗮𝗺'𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗰𝗼.

Sam's ranks slightly behind Costco by door count, but far ahead in terms of technology.

Drawing on Walmarats deep pool of retail tech, Sam's Club is leveraging technology to streamline shopping. 

Why?  Big box draws larger order sizes than other grocers, but fewer monthly trips.  

Sams is hoping that is that faster, more streamlined experiences, will mean more visits per month.

𝟱. 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 '𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲'.

Walmart plans to expand to a total of 1,000 of these high tech, digitized stores in 2025.

These stores will include smart carts, digital signage, digital shelves, and even robot baristas.

Get ready for Walmart to lead the way in a highly automated store-of-the future.  

So if 2024 was the year of high tech retail ideas and pilots.

2025 will be the year high tech execution and mass rollouts.

Get ready to see retailers cross invisible boundaries, challenge conventions, and even ignite turf wars.

Buckle up. 2025 is shaping up to be a wild ride.