Dry goods, on the other hand, will be ordered and delivered or picked up at the store or a satellite location. For many of these products, consumers know what they want.
IDDBA trends report also predicts increased popularity of self-checkouts, the advent of mobile commerce and e-marketing via PDAs, wireless communications and in-store kiosks, plus the evolution of the bar code system with technologies such a the Uniform Code Council's system for variable weight items, called Reduced Space Symbiology.
Moderator Comment: What will retail grocery stores be like in the future?
From the outside, the major difference will be the specially designated pick-up/depot areas for consumers to retrieve the groceries they purchased online.
Inside, stores will merchandise around day-parts and consumer needs bringing together fresh, refrigerated, frozen, shelf stable, general merchandise, and HBC together in designated centers. Category managers with applicable training/expertise will assist shoppers in these areas.
Kiosks throughout the store will give consumers access to product information, pricing, etc. Consumers will be able to order items not found in regular stock from these stations, along the line of NeXpansion's Endless Aisle.
Self-checkouts will become more prominent. Have a nice day. [George Anderson - Moderator]