Rethinking the grocery store experience from being a transitory destination to becoming an exploratory destination full of discovery is proving to be a worthwhile approach for grocery retailers.
Here are a few techniques stores are using to encourage shoppers to stay in store and elevate the in-store experience.

Lucky’s market are letting customers take a beer or glass of wine with them when they shop in a program called ‘Sip and Stroll’ - which comes complete with a cupholder in shopping carts.
Some grocers are holding ‘Meet the farmer’ events, partnering with vertical farming operations like Bright Farms and Gotham Greens to source produce from only miles away. This taps into the trend towards hyper-local produce - a phenomenon that Packaged Facts estimates will hit $20billion by next year!
A variety of grocery stores are experimenting with growing produce in stores! For examples, a Whole Foods that opened earlier this year Bridgewater, New Jersey features a mushroom farm that generates up to 120 pounds of fungi a week for the store. A Hy-Vee store in Iowa provides up to 15 pounds of herbs and lettuce for the store each week with eight-foot tall hydroponic grow walls.
Other grocery stores are bringing in an educational element to the grocery shop. Basics Market in Portland, features a large culinary classroom where shoppers can learn everything from knife skills to diabetes management. At select Martin’s stores in Indiana seniors can learn how to cook with local ingredients, while kids can take brownie-baking classes. Hy-Vee offers store tours with its many dietitians while Dave’s Supermarket in Rhode Island runs support groups and seminars for shoppers with celiac disease.