Elevate Your In-Store Prepared Foods Experience with Grocery Kiosk Technology

Bringing Digitization to Perimeter Departments

Between online shopping solutions like digital storefrontsand in-store touchpoints like electronic shelf labels, we're seeing the next evolution of grocery technology happen in real time.

Retailers are leveraging the technology boom to upgrade in-store shopping experiences, where the majority of consumersprefer to shop. They're seamlessly introducing omnichannel solutions like smart shopping cartsand grocery kiosk technology - and it's clear that consumers prefer retailers that prioritize digital experiences in brick and mortar locations.

The majority of grocers have onboarded at least one form of in-store grocery technology, with savvy locations offering a variety of digital touchpoints throughout their consumer's shopping journeys.

As grocers consider ways to bring the next wave of digitization to stores, many see grocery kiosk technology as a seamless path towards consumer satisfaction - and backend efficiency. But many retailers have only incorporated self-serve technology for customers for self-checkout without using that technology elsewhere in the store. That approach overlooks the opportunity to digitize a grocer's perimeter counters and the consumer's in-store ordering journey.

So, let's explore ways that grocers can leverage kiosks to unlock efficiency and consumer satisfaction.

Grocery Kiosk Technology in the Consumer's Journey

Consumers are not only familiar with digital integrations in stores - the majoritysee technology as a must-have in their shopping experiences. Their perception of self-serve grocery kiosks is no different. In fact, more than half of retailers believe that they would lose consumer loyalty if they removed kiosks from stores.

In perimeter departments, there's a burgeoning opportunity to drive consumer engagement - and satisfaction - by adding interactive kiosks to different departments. Those departments can include:

• Deli counters
• Cafes
• Catering
• Bakeries
• Made-to-order counters

Deli counters

Deli kiosks can help consumers place orders or check prices more efficiently than through interactions with a staff member. In-store digital ordering can also encourage consumers to adopt omnichannel behaviors, which often result in larger basket sizes.

Cafes

Grocery kiosk technology can empower consumers to place a cafe order and continue shopping while they wait. Order-ahead opportunities can help consumers save time and drive up satisfaction. In some cases, positive experiences can encourage consumers to routinely stop by the cafe whenever they shop in store.

Catering

Kiosks can help consumers customize large catering orders before finalizing their purchase. By adding or removing items from an order, consumers can see their price update in real time, giving them the confidence in their purchasing decision.

Bakeries

By adding self-service kiosks in bakeries, grocers can empower consumers to order custom cakes and seasonal baked goods - and schedule large orders in advance. Through this approach, grocery kiosk technology can help grocers add a new sales channel in stores, forecast production, and increase visibility of in-demand bakery products.

Made-to-order counters

Grocers are seeing growing demand for made-to-order service lines that offer products like custom sandwiches, salads, burritos, and wood-fired pizzas. Because consumers often see local grocers as a convenient, cost-effective alternative to restaurants, they often turn to these products to stay within a budget or beat restaurant crowds. By adding self-service grocery kiosks to these counters, grocers can:

• Streamline the ordering experience
• Make backend production more efficient
• Leverage higher profit margins of prepared foods to boost revenue

Streamline Kitchen Operations with a Kitchen Display System (KDS)

Backend grocery staff are all too familiar with the challenges of running a perimeter department kitchen. Disconnected tracking systems, manual order management, low stock visibility, and physical ticketing can quickly bring productivity to a halt. When backend operations pause, that translates to longer wait times, negatively impacting consumer satisfaction.

To proactively address these challenges, grocers are integrating kitchen display systems (KDS) with their existing consumer-facing ordering kiosks. An optimized KDS equips staff with real-time order visibility, progress tracking, and inventory management. It's often a low-lift solution with a shallow learning curve - but the impact of a KDS can resound through an entire department.

Grocers may hesitate to implement a KDS due to fears of high costs or user complexity. In other cases, grocers may have existing backlogs of technology ready to onboard, and IT teams might not see a KDS as a top priority. But, by leveraging an order management system (OMS) that seamlessly powers a KDS, grocers stand to boost revenue through backend efficiency. And, by leveraging existing grocery kiosk technologyin stores, the tech lift for IT teams becomes much lighter.

Industry Outlook for Grocery Kiosk Technology

So, are grocers actually implementing grocery kiosks across perimeter departments today? As of June 2023, half of surveyed grocers used grocery kiosks in stores, with 20% planning to invest more throughout 2024 and 2025 - and retailers believe that kiosk technology has the potential to refresh perimeter departments.

Grocery technology investments are keeping retailers competitive. And, with creative thinking, kiosks can offer a straightforward path towards a tech upgrade.

So how can grocers begin upgrading in-store technology? The best way to upgrade a kiosk is to consider the software that it will run. Older applications may be unoptimized, disconnected, or even obsolete. Fully integrated software, on the other hand, can improve end-to-end usability.

Many grocers are already leveraging connected solutions like FoodStorm, Instacart's OMS, to upgrade their consumer-facing kiosks - and transform displays into a powerful staff KDS. FoodStorm integrates seamlessly with other solutions like Caper Carts, AI-powered smart shopping carts, to bring omnichannel benefits into stores. And, with connected solutions from partners like Instacart, grocers don't face the uphill battle they would by building in-house solutions from scratch.

Upgrade Your Grocery Kiosk Technology with FoodStorm

Ready to upgrade your grocery kiosks? FoodStorm can help you streamline end-to-end operations with real-time ordering visibility across all your perimeter departments. FoodStorm consolidates all of your orders into one OMS, giving you a fully integrated in-store experience. Hundreds of retailersworldwide already use FoodStorm, and they're achieving powerful results.

FoodStorm is just one part of Instacart's Connected Stores suite of products. Connected Stores brings together Instacart's modular in-store technology offerings and connects retailers with Instacart Platform's e-commerce solutions, helping them deliver unified commerce experiences.

See how you can elevate end-to-end perimeter experiences with FoodStorm today!

If you're interested in Instacart Platform technology for your grocery business, click the button below to submit a Retailer Inquiry form.

Get Started