1. Setting the right mood for shopping.

With the prominence of online shopping, and services from Amazon and Peapod offering home delivery for groceries, supermarkets are improving the in-store grocery shopping experience for consumers.

“Today’s grocery store design teams are also taking cues from interior home design. Lighting is being used to set the mood by creating different feelings across the store, from using bright white to emphasis clean, fresh meat and dairy counters, to makeup/spa lighting in the personal beauty and wellness departments, and warmer whites near the in-store Starbucks and bakeries to create a café ambiance,” said Major. 

2. Mobile devices and social media are the new mealtime accomplices.

Moms were early adopters of smartphones, which have become the command center of their lives. Today, mobile devices are the first thing she checks before getting out of bed in the morning and the last thing at night. 

“Because of the pervasiveness with moms, smartphones are becoming the end-all/be-all source of deals, personalized offers and customer engagement,” explained Major. “Pushing a grocery cart around with a paper-shopping list is becoming a thing of the past. Moms want convenience and value along their path to purchase that makes their lives better and easier.

“Recognizing that social networks are the new mealtime accomplice and the ultimate hub for conversations and word-of-mouth discoveries, 48% of retail executives responding to Progressive Grocer's 2015 Annual Report of the Grocery Industry ranked Facebook as the leading outlet to solidify connections with shoppers,” added Major. “What’s for dinner is often decided hours before the actual meal – often following a mom's visit to a social site, where recipes and meal hacks are routinely shared and widely embraced.” 

3. Private label helps moms save money, but that’s not the story.

Moms, and consumers in general, are making it clear they want convenience and speed in meal preparation alongside fresh, healthier food options, which are largely found around the perimeter of grocery stores. In addition, they’re turning to supermarket labels over big-name brands.

“Today’s increasingly sophisticated supermarket private label products are all about differentiation, quality and the overall value proposition, and only partially about price. Leading national, regional and local supermarkets have invested countless resources and millions of dollars annually into perfecting their vast and diverse private brands across the store to provide customers with meaningful value while shining a spotlight on items that ‘can only be had here,’” said Major.

4. Nine million moms are adopting beacon technology.

“According to recent research from inMarket, an operator of a beacon proximity platform, 38% of the 9 million U.S. Millennial moms are already actively using beacon-enabled shopping apps,” shared Major.

Grocers are responding to the uptick in beacon-enabled applications with welcome messages upon entering a store and related calls to action during a customer’s visit – pushing coupons and supplementary product information – based on specific marketing efforts or branded engagements on the app being used.

The grocery store of the future?

As Major sees it, supermarkets will be vastly different in a few years from what we see today. “Next-generation grocery stores will offer a mix of high-tech and high-touch, with more sophisticated, solutions-based concept stores to drive sales and retain their relevance as the e-grocery evolution intensifies.”

A shopping trip that offers moms and general consumers the opportunity to consult with a nutritionist, take a cooking class, or even use a babysitter – that’s the true definition of an evolved shopping experience.

Editor's note: This article originally appeared on Nov. 6, 2015, in Engage:Moms.