2020 and 2021 have been fascinating years for online grocery retailers. The pandemic forced through a raft of innovations in record time. So, will this pace of change continue in 2022? Those in the industry believe so.

Digitalization leads the field

According to Brick Meets Click, leading retailers will be all about digitalization in 2022. Machine learning and cloud computing will deliver distinct competitive advantage. Benefits will include faster communications, enhanced data analysis and a more agile approach.

Some of the other top trends for 2022 that Brick Meets Click has flagged up include:

• Grocery delivery costs falling, thanks to low-cost, autonomous vehicles.

• Greater exclusivity between consumer packaged goods (CPG) producers and retailers.

• Hyper localization that focuses intensely on customers' needs.

• Inflation driving price strategy changes, led by the most agile retailers.

Meeting multiple needs

Based on these projections, Erik Wallin, Co-founder of Northfork, sees shopping by recipe as a key 2022 grocery retail trend. He explains:

"Shopping by recipe will be one of the most important online grocery trends in 2022. It lets consumers fill their baskets with all ingredients with a single click or tap. Recipes are personalised based on consumer preferences. The technology does this in a way that can promote particular brands and link to real-time stock levels. It can easily factor in hyper localization."

Digital recipe shopping allows retailers to be super agile. Retailers can promote a certain CPG or sale item through recipe recommendations. And both retailers and shoppers can prioritise value for money, as well as other factors. Flexibility is at the core of the experience.

Consumers have embraced online grocery shopping. Many are sticking with it for the long-haul. With delivery costs falling, retailers will be pushing to get ahead in this space. Shopping by recipe enables them to do so, making this one of the key trends for grocery retail in 2022.