I recently had the pleasure of attending Groceryshop, the leading event for Grocery and CPG marketers. Listening to some of the industry’s most innovative thought leaders was insightful. In case you weren’t able to attend, here are my 5 key learnings from the event:

#1. Instant delivery is critical

If I were to name one consistent buzzword that I heard across the event, it would be the word “instant.” It was mentioned during every session I attended and every conversation I had. Consumers have run out of patience. They want their favorite brands delivered to their house in a timely manner. With Kroger announcing 30-minute delivery via Gopuff and Instacart and Doordash similarly communicating the prioritization of fast delivery, consumers are growing accustomed to this new convenience.

#2. Brands are thinking outside the box

Given the fragmentation of the grocery industry, brands have to become more creative and nimble when it comes to reaching new consumers. Whether it be leveraging augmented reality to create an at-home store experience, or sponsorships of in-home recipe classes to drive product trials, brands are looking for new ways to get their products off the shelf and into the pantry. I was impressed to hear the creative approaches that brands are taking, all while ensuring the experience remains personalized to the consumer.

#3. It’s getting more and more personal

With the increased adoption of online grocery shopping comes more personalization opportunities. From curated product selections based on past purchases to customized messaging, there are many opportunities for brands to get personal. There are countless moments that a consumer experiences across their shopping journey. Each moment is an opportunity to deliver a message that connects a brand to a consumer’s mindset and need state. After discussing personalization tactics with marketers at Groceryshop, I learned that brands completely understand that it’s never been more important to reach consumers with personalized messages at relevant moments along the path to purchase.

#4. Now is the time to build stronger connections

Based on what we’ve witnessed this past year, it is clear that consumers are very open to change. The CPG industry has become increasingly competitive. Consumers can easily and cheaply switch their brand loyalties. To avoid losing consumers, brands need to build stronger connections. This can be challenging when consumers are bombarded with advertising and brand content online. Simply put, the brand that connects at the point of receptivity, with a message that makes sense in that moment, is the brand that will resonate and ultimately build the strongest connection.

#5. Retailers are moving beyond focusing only on point-of-sale opportunities

Many traditional retail media solution providers focus heavily on point-of-sale opportunities to speak to shoppers, neglecting the majority of their shopper journey that sits within the awareness and consideration phases prior to setting foot in a store. Retailers need to tap into the various moments before the point-of-sale moment to support the shopper’s decision to visit a store. There are multiple ways to achieve this, one of which is to dynamically personalize a retailers’ weekly regional and national promotions, via impactful digital advertisements.

I had many great discussions with brands and retailers at Groceryshop where I shared various CPG digital marketing best practices. If you would like to learn how to leverage moments and personalization to elevate your campaigns, download Aki’s recent CPG Personalization Playbook, or email me directly to set up a meeting: rc@a.ki.

Risa Crandall, SVP CPG Strategy and Sales at Aki