Each year, Groceryshop brings leaders from around the world to explore the trends, technologies, and innovations impacting the grocery, retail, and CPG industries.

With more than 160 speakers and 60 sessions, AI continued to be a major topic mentioned in almost every discussion – but broader themes emerged as retailers and brands alike focused on answering the key question: with all of the technology and innovation available, how do we make this work to best meet the needs of the ever-evolving customer? Below are some of our top Groceryshop 2025 takeaways:

Groceryshop 2025 Takeaways

The Evolving Shopper

Economic pressures continue to shape buying habits, but shoppers aren’t just spending differently – they’re shopping differently. The path to purchase has become far more dynamic, influenced by new discovery channels, health trends, and the growing role of technology in decision-making.

While in-store discovery and word of mouth recommendations still play a major role in how shoppers find new products, social platforms and AI are becoming increasingly prominent in the search, discovery, validation, and conversion phases of the journey. With the right technology, brands have an opportunity to tap into these new channels to find ways to promote their products in a way that’s both relevant and contextual.

One example of this was shared by Alicia LeBeouf, Head of Industry, Retail & Grocery, at Meta – they have the ability to detect viral Reels on Facebook and Instagram referencing a specific product and immediately serve targeted offers following the short-form video, bridging the gap from awareness to conversion and capitalizing on real-time spikes in popularity.

Another powerful shift highlighted in several sessions throughout Groceryshop is the rise of GLP-1 medications, which are quietly reshaping consumption patterns, like smaller basket sizes, more intentional (and selective) purchasing, and a heightened focus on health and nutrition.

Linda Bethea, CMO North America at Danone, shared how her team mapped the detailed customer journey from the very beginning steps, researching weight loss and talking to their doctor. Two strategies Danone has used to lean into this trend include investing in retail media on digital screens in doctors’ offices as well as the launch of their new Oikos Fusion, a protein-packed, nutrient-dense dairy drink that’s tailored to GLP-1 users.

Joe Sta-Romana, Chief Customer Officer at Haleon, shared another example of how they’re leaning into some of the second order effects of GLP-1, like changes to dietary and nutrition needs as well as side effects that users face. Haleon (whose portfolio includes TUMS, Centrum, Advil, and other health brands) launched a collaborative information campaign with Walgreens to serve as a credible source of information for patients embarking on their GLP-1 journey.

As shoppers take a more informed approach in deciding what they buy, brand presence at the shelf has never mattered more. Leigh O’Donnell, Head of Shopper and Category Insights at Kantar, shared a striking statistic – 46% of GLP-1 users in their study have switched primary retailers since starting the medication, creating a massive opportunity for retailers to attract and maintain new shoppers.

Retailers and CPGs are rethinking how products are positioned, how information is surfaced, and how messaging connects digital discovery to physical purchase. The next phase of growth will come from those who can translate these evolving behaviors into smarter category strategies, personalized engagement, and more adaptive in-store experiences.

Collaboration Across CPGs, Retailers, and Delivery Platforms

One of the strongest themes at Groceryshop was how collaboration across the grocery ecosystem is expanding and deepening, finding new data-driven opportunities to deliver more value to customers. With retailer–supplier relationships ranging from transactional to joint business planning to long term strategic partners, the need for trust and transparency was underscored as a core pillar for successful collaboration and mutual growth.

Heather Hughes, Group VP and General Merchandise Manager at Walgreens, shared an anecdote of one of their suppliers who approached them with a new assortment modeling tool that they wanted to test. Even though the model’s recommendation ended up costing the supplier points of distribution, the results led to a win-win-win outcome: the test stores outperformed the control group in the category, the brand realized better in-store performance and efficiencies, and shoppers benefited from a more tailored assortment.

Delivery platforms are also emerging as critical partners in insight and execution. With visibility into real-time shopper behavior, including how consumers search, compare, and select products, these platforms are well positioned to use that data to help both retailers and CPGs make faster, smarter decisions. Fuad Hannon, VP of New Verticals at DoorDash, shared an example of how they were able to identify rapid spikes in demand on the platform during allergy season. They could then bring actionable insights back to their drug store and manufacturer partners to ensure sufficient inventory and explore additional opportunities like increasing top of funnel marketing.

These collaborations highlight a broader shift: success increasingly depends on shared intelligence rather than isolated decision-making. Retailers, CPGs, and delivery platforms each hold unique data sets, and when those insights are connected, the results can transform category performance and enhance marketing precision.

Still, structural and operational challenges remain. Category Management, sales, and RGM/TPO are pillars of modern CP organizations but need to be closely aligned to strengthen retailer relationships. And while technology is improving the speed at which data can be shared between teams and partners, the question becomes how do we use all of this data and evolve our decision-making processes to respond in real time?  The next frontier will be integrating these capabilities (supported by common data models, shared tools, and well-defined processes) to create truly connected commercial ecosystems.

Technology Foundations for Growth

While AI dominated the conversations and exciting success stories were presented on stage at Groceryshop, the follow-up conversations with brands and retailers steered more tactical – how do we get started in AI? What foundations do we need in place? What use cases should we prioritize?

Many of these conversations circled back to some common challenges: fragmented platforms, outdated legacy systems, inconsistent processes, and lack of integrations all make it difficult to scale new capabilities and achieve the expected ROI, no matter how promising the use case.

Retailers and CPGs are eager to accelerate digital transformation, but progress starts with modernizing the technology foundations to have flexible architectures, unified data layers, and deeper integration capabilities. These investments are what enable opportunities for smarter AI-driven decision-making, automation across the organization, and ultimately more value delivered to the customer. Michael Wait, Head of Infrastructure & Application Development at Schnuck Markets, highlighted how in-store technologies ranging from electronic shelf labels to aisle-scanning robots all complement each other and create a flywheel effect in creating a great shopping experience for their customers.

As organizations rethink their technology stack, they’re also revisiting governance and ownership, ensuring data, systems, and teams are aligned around business priorities. Those who get this right will unlock speed and scalability across functions like forecasting, supply chain, and merchandising, as well as deliver better value to the customer.

The Key Ingredient: People

For all the focus on technology, Groceryshop made one thing clear: people are the true enabler of transformation. Every major initiative, whether it’s deploying AI in promotion planning, building new omnichannel capabilities, or automating store operations, success ultimately relies on teamwork, collaboration, shared vision, and adoption. Teams must understand the “why” behind change and feel equipped and empowered to operate in new ways.

Many organizations have learned the hard way that tools alone don’t deliver value. Without structured organizational change management, communication, and upskilling, even the best solutions underperform. Just as technology foundations are needed to harness AI, people and process foundations are equally important. As Nitin Murali, VP Supply Chain Excellence at Gallo, put it: AI is an amplifier – having strong human collaboration and process maturity in place will allow organizations to get the maximum benefit from their technology investments.

Leading retailers and brands are starting to approach enablement as a strategic capability, embedding change management and workforce readiness into every program. This people-first mindset ensures that innovation isn’t just implemented but also sustained in the long term.

Closing Thoughts

If there’s one takeaway from Groceryshop 2025, it’s that transformation in grocery, retail, and CPG is rapidly accelerating and depends on four connected elements: understanding the evolving shopper, strengthening collaboration efforts with their partners, modernizing technology foundations, and empowering their people. Organizations that can bring these pieces together to align consumer insights, process excellence, and human capability will shape the next era of growth.

To chat more about these Groceryshop 2025 takeaways or other emerging trends and challenges in the grocery sector, reach out to our team.