Learn the grocery store equipment and supply trends for material handling that can help you streamline your supermarket or convenience store operations.
With the rise of online grocery delivery services, grocery stores may be wondering how to restructure their material handling processes to cater to both in-store and online shopping experiences.
The data shows that online grocery shopping is here to stay. What started as a necessity during the pandemic has become an expected convenience for millions of Americans.
Rest assured, the standard customer-facing grocery store equipment like glass door walk-in coolers, refrigerated display cases, and retail display racks will remain staples in convenience stores nationwide. Even with the growing e-commerce trends, many customers will still expect to walk into a physical retail location to find standard supermarket refrigeration equipment, countertop display warmers, and common store fixtures like shopping carts and checkout machines.
But grocery stores will need to continue to find ways to expand the e-commerce sector of their business as big tech companies like Amazon move into the online grocery fulfillment space.
So here are some e-commerce grocery trends to keep an eye on:
Smart Shelves
The typical rate at which the customer-facing shelves require a restock may change drastically as more online orders are fulfilled in back-of-house operations. Smart shelves can help streamline restocking by alerting store managers only when shelves and merchandisers are low on inventory. This specialized piece of convenience store equipment can help managers plan their staffing and inventory accordingly, as the flow of consumer goods is split between retail location shoppers and those who prefer to order online.
ASRS Technology
Grocery stores increasingly rely on their own grocery store workers to pick and pack online orders with fast turnaround times and a need for accuracy. But the nationwide staffing shortages can place strain on an already-strained foodservice industry. For stores with high online sales volumes, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) technology can play a crucial role in reducing the staffing burden and ensuring an efficient and accurate picking and packing process.
Product and Equipment Organization
Material handling processes used to be reasonably straightforward for grocery stores before e-commerce took off in the industry. Now, retail locations also play the role of micro fulfillment centers, which require a drastically different approach to storing and organizing goods.
Here are some equipment essentials for micro fulfillment centers within your retail locations that can help streamline your fulfillment processes:
Commercial refrigeration and freezers
For back-of-house perishable storage and organization.
Heavy Duty Trailers and Material Handling Carts
A high-quality fleet of trailers and material-handling carts can help organize storage rooms, create a reliable flow of materials and products, and increase safety in fulfillment center facilities. Quad steer carts are particularly useful in micro fulfillment centers as these carts can navigate tight spaces with precision and ease.
Tugger Train Systems
Tugger Train Systems are designed to carry materials and products throughout the fulfillment center along predetermined routes and schedules. These systems can move products efficiently throughout the facility along guided tracks to ensure routine material handling processes are efficient and accurate every time.
Food Prep Equipment
If your grocery store location offers hot food from the deli as part of the e-commerce shopping experience, you will need to include equipment like meat slicers, warmers, steamers, fryers, and rotisserie ovens in the fulfillment center to keep hot food fresh and ready for fulfillment at any time.
At Nutting, we design custom material handling carts and tugger train systems to help support grocery stores looking to streamline their online grocery fulfillment processes. To learn more about our custom solutions, explore our products today!
