Surprise bag picnic ~ Too Good To Go USA
In 2024, 17 million Aussies shopped online each month and 23% ordered groceries. So where is the boom in food apps and store-free shopping taking us?
🛒 Consumers are being driven by an alchemical combo of rising costs, sustainability concerns and good old fashioned novelty seeking.
🛒 Apps that bullseye this venn diagram are peaking. Too Good To Go allows eateries to update shoppers in real time about end-of-day food that’s gotta go, like sushi rolls, pastries, produce and takeaway meals. Customers don’t exactly know what’s going to be in these “surprise bags” but at 50% off (or more) who can say no? An exquisite example of funifying sustainability.
🛒 Another emerging trend is subscription or scheduled corporate catering apps that take the faff out of feeding the team; a godsend for recurring meetings or multi-location companies.
🛒 Then there are purely app-based businesses without a physical presence, called dark warehouses or ghost kitchens, who simply exist to service orders with the lowest possible overheads.
So with herds of people shopping from bed, does this mean retail is dead? Far from it.
📱Online ordering systems are additive, increasing the number and type of shoppers a business can reach on top of baseline retail.
📱Interestingly, consumers are gravitating towards cosier, more personal experiences in store, balancing the anonymity of the online space.
📱As app fees rise, vendors are cutting out the middleman and relating directly to consumers, either through social media platforms or their own website – more points for personalisation!
🥑And thanks to our deep seated sensory relationship with food, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever want to go completely hands off with groceries, because sniffing that mango or fondling that avo is all part of the foraging ritual…
👽… even if we walk out without paying. Seamless shopping experiences are here, where it’s totally fine to walk in, grab stuff, and walk out without paying because – smile! – your card is on file. Not creepy at all.
👉🏼How do apps feature in your world? Are you a humanless-food kinda person or do you prefer to head in-store?