There is a food revolution coming and it will offer an unprecedented opportunity for traditional and digital retailers alike. The acquisition of Whole Foods by Amazon in June 2017 and Alibaba’s investment in Sun Art Retail – netting it access to 446 hypermarkets in China – are just a glimpse of what is in store for the global grocery market.
Five years ago, retailers headquartered outside Asia were the ones driving international expansion. However, today, it is Asian retailers who are predominantly establishing new and more extensive store networks beyond their existing operations.
Asia continues to be a hotspot for digital and technology adoption, with retailers increasingly experimenting with new solutions. This will continue into 2018; however, retailers are progressively using this technology to their advantage to deliver better solutions for shoppers.