Northfork reveals top online grocery retail trends for 2022
Jul 28, 2022
Louise Taylor
As we pass the halfway point of 2022, the recipe shopping and online grocery retail experts at Northfork have shared their insights into the top trends that have emerged during the first half of the year.
"It has been a very busy six months," comments Northfork Co-founder Eric Wallin. “Activity generally across the online grocery retail sector has been strong, as has that of third-party content creators. Within this dynamic environment, we have seen two key trends epitomise activity in the sector. The first is content and live commerce. The second is quick commerce.”
Content and live commerce
The new partnership between Northfork and NBCU/Today took recipe shopping to another level for consumers in the US earlier this year. The collaboration showcases how seamlessly content can blend into live commerce. TV viewers who are inspired by recipes on the Today Table programme can add the ingredients straight to an online shopping cart by scanning an on-screen QR code.
"This blending of content and live commerce is a key element of the future of food shopping. It enables consumers to move from inspiration to buying ingredients quickly and easily. It takes the pain out of meal planning," states Wallin.
Quick commerce
The second notable trend from the first half of 2022 is the growth in demand for rapid delivery services. Known as quick commerce, the fast delivery of groceries again serves that connection between inspiration and ingredients. It supports consumers to act on their inspiration to cook without having to plan a week's worth of meals in advance and then trundle around the supermarket. Rapid and responsive, quick commerce is enabling shoppers to engage with recipes in a new, much more dynamic way.
"Quick commerce is delivering convenience, as well as groceries," observes Northfork's Eric Wallin. "It means that retailers can serve customers in a way that moulds around their busy lifestyles, but clearly the tight economics involved in groceries make this a difficult area to deliver profitably. It's definitely one to watch."