{"id":82102,"date":"2026-10-14T11:06:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aton.com\/atonews\/customer-journey-gdo\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T11:06:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:06:33","slug":"customer-journey-gdo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aton.com\/en\/atonews\/customer-journey-gdo\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer journey in grocery retail: how to improve the omnichannel shopping experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

In grocery retail, the customer relationship is not built at the checkout alone, nor does it begin when someone walks into the store.<\/p>\n

Purchase decisions are shaped much earlier: when shoppers prepare their shopping list, compare products and offers, and choose the most convenient way to shop. They continue inside the store, at the shelf, and even after checkout.<\/p>\n

For retailers, the real challenge is therefore to be present throughout the entire grocery retail customer journey<\/strong>, creating a consistent experience across digital channels and the physical store.<\/p>\n

The shopping journey starts before customers enter the store<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Planning is already a crucial stage of the purchasing journey.<\/p>\n

Imagine a customer adding \u201ctiramisu for six people\u201d to a digital shopping list. An advanced platform can suggest the ingredients needed, bring up products the customer buys regularly, and recommend alternatives that match their preferences or the retailer\u2019s commercial strategy.<\/p>\n

The use of artificial intelligence at this stage is no longer just a future scenario. According to McKinsey data from 2026, 12% of consumers have already used AI tools to organise their grocery shopping, while 28% of Gen Z say they are interested in doing so.<\/p>\n

Some estimates also suggest that, by 2030, AI agents could handle retail purchases worth between $3 trillion and $5 trillion.<\/p>\n

The point is simple: a growing share of purchase decisions may be made before the customer even reaches the supermarket.<\/p>\n

From loyalty programmes to customer relationships<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Historically, many loyalty strategies in grocery retail have focused on loyalty cards, points programmes, coupons and promotions.<\/p>\n

These are important tools, but they often engage the customer when a significant part of the decision-making process has already taken place.<\/p>\n

Today, loyalty is also becoming less tied to a single retailer. The same consumer may choose different retailers depending on product category, price, convenience or the type of experience they want at that particular moment.<\/p>\n

In other digital environments, customers are already used to receiving personalised recommendations, quickly finding their usual purchases and completing tasks in just a few steps.<\/p>\n

This is why loyalty can become more effective when it is treated not simply as a rewards programme, but as part of a broader relationship built throughout the entire shopping journey.<\/p>\n

The in-store experience remains the decisive moment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If the pre-visit phase helps shape intentions, it is often inside the store that the final choice is made.<\/p>\n

At the shelf, customers compare products, change their minds, add unplanned items and look for alternatives when something is out of stock.<\/p>\n

This is precisely where digital technology can have a tangible impact on the experience.<\/p>\n

Customers can be guided towards the product they are looking for, receive relevant recommendations, quickly find an alternative when an item is unavailable, or complete payment without using a traditional checkout.<\/p>\n

These services reduce friction and save time, making the shopping trip easier.<\/p>\n

For the retailer, this means turning the physical store into a touchpoint that is connected with every other channel, rather than treating it as a separate experience.<\/p>\n

One journey across apps, e-commerce and the physical store<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The value comes from connecting the different stages of the shopping journey instead of managing them as separate experiences.<\/p>\n

Customers can start by choosing how they want to shop: home delivery, click and collect, drive-to-store or a traditional store visit.<\/p>\n

They can open a saved shopping list, add recommended products, use the app during the visit, navigate the aisles, access relevant promotions and pay through self-scanning or digital checkout systems.<\/p>\n

After the purchase, the information collected can help make the next shopping experience even easier and more personalised.<\/p>\n

This creates a continuous cycle in which each interaction informs the next.<\/p>\n

Understanding the customer before checkout<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A connected journey also creates value for the retailer.<\/p>\n

It not only increases sales opportunities, but also provides a more complete understanding of customer behaviour.<\/p>\n

The receipt tells you what was bought. A digital customer journey can also provide information about what happened before the transaction: what customers searched for, added to their list, compared or eventually replaced.<\/p>\n

This visibility helps retailers understand preferences and habits while they are still taking shape, rather than only after the purchase has been completed.<\/p>\n

Retailers can then work on assortment, promotions and services using a broader base of information, while improving both the relevance of the experience and customer loyalty.<\/p>\n

An omnichannel customer journey in grocery retail<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This is the approach behind RetAPPs<\/strong><\/a>, now part of the Aton Group, with SmartBip<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The platform, adopted by 17 grocery retail banners, was designed to connect the different touchpoints along the shopping journey and support customers before, during and after the shopping trip.<\/p>\n

The goal is to move beyond the separate management of apps, loyalty, e-commerce, stores, self-scanning and checkout, turning them into parts of a single connected experience.<\/p>\n

For retailers, the question therefore becomes less \u201cwhich digital tools do we have?\u201d and more \u201chow well are they actually connected across the customer journey?\u201d<\/p>\n

This is also the focus of the webinar \u201cOmnichannel grocery retail: how can every stage of the shopping journey be connected?\u201d<\/strong>, which explores how to build a more integrated experience across digital channels and the physical store.<\/p>\n

Contact<\/div>
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In grocery retail, the customer relationship is not built at the checkout alone, nor does it begin when someone walks into the store. Purchase decisions are shaped much earlier: when shoppers prepare their shopping list, compare products and offers, and choose the most convenient way to shop. They continue inside the store, at the shelf, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":82103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-82102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","keyword-e-commerce-en","keyword-retail-management-en","keyword-sales-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGrocery retail customer journey: improving the shopping experience<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how to improve the customer journey in grocery retail by integrating apps, loyalty, e-commerce and the physical store to create a seamless omnichannel shopping experience.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aton.com\/en\/atonews\/customer-journey-gdo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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