2025 Grocery Forum Recap

April 2025

Flybuy hosted its 3rd annual Grocery Forum, bringing together leaders from across the grocery industry to explore innovative strategies shaping the future of retail. The event showcased cutting-edge approaches to streamlining operations and elevating marketing efforts, all with the goal of enhancing the customer experience through personalized, location-based technology.

Keynote Address

Guest speaker Steve Markenson, Vice President of Research & Insights at FMI, opened the forum with a comprehensive analysis of how digital engagement is reshaping the grocery industry, backed by FMI’s latest data. He revealed that 90% of U.S. households now engage in omnichannel grocery shopping, with online sales projected to grow at a 12% CAGR 2024-2027 reaching $388 billion at the end of 2027.

The Shopping Trends of Gen Z: Gen Z’s rising influence, with their shopping journey driven by influencers and social media.
AI in Grocery: 53% of shoppers use AI for meal planning and deals.
The In-store Digital Experience: 80% of shoppers want to scan QR codes for product details all the while 61% compare prices on their phone while shopping.
E-Commerce Challenges: Only 46% of retailers say their e-commerce offering is profitable, and only 8% of food retailers say their e-commerce platform is “very sophisticated.”
Tariffs: 57% of shoppers are fearful of the tariffs’ impact on their ability to afford groceries, while 79% are extremely concerned about the increase in prices.

The Evolving Grocery Landscape: Key Trends & Pressures

Gen Z’s Digital Influence
Gen Z is reshaping the grocery experience through their digital-first mindset. Their shopping habits are increasingly influenced by platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Depop, where trends are born and product discovery is immediate. Retailers must adapt to stay relevant and meet these consumers where they are—online and socially engaged.
Redefining Loyalty
Traditional loyalty programs are no longer enough. Consumers, especially younger ones, expect interactive, personalized experiences. Gamified rewards, surprise perks, and social media engagement are now critical to building lasting loyalty beyond simple discounts.
Third-Party Delivery Challenges
Operators voiced frustration over the reputational risk posed by third-party delivery services. Missed items, poor communication, and inconsistent handoffs reflect back on the brand—not the delivery provider—making it essential to find ways to better manage and safeguard the customer experience.
Rise of Budget-Conscious Planning
Inflation has shifted shopper behavior toward pre-planning and deal-hunting. Consumers are leaning on digital tools to find promotions, stretch budgets, and make informed decisions before stepping into a store. Retailers have a growing opportunity to engage earlier in the customer journey by improving pricing transparency and surfacing deals sooner.

Breakout Sessions

Guest Experience & New Features

This session explored the latest innovations in the Flybuy SDK, including the new order status tracker, vehicle handoff location feature, and more. Participating brands shared valuable insights into their digital journey—highlighting both wins and areas for growth. Attendees also had an exclusive opportunity to preview an interactive, gamified couponing concept currently in the discovery phase by the Flybuy product team.

Data-Driven Future

This session centered on how Flybuy and its partners can harness the power of data to generate Smart Insights and drive more efficient operations and impactful marketing campaigns. One key example discussed was how a trend of rising wait times paired with declining customer star ratings can signal operational strain—prompting proactive labor adjustments. Attendees expressed strong interest in more actionable data visualizations that enable quicker, more informed decision-making.

ETAi (Estimated Time of Arrival) Intelligence

In this session, attendees explored ETAi, Flybuy’s machine learning-powered solution designed to improve ETA accuracy beyond traditional navigation systems. By training a deep neural network on historical trip and site-specific data, ETAi can predict when a customer will arrive at the actual store entrance, not just the map pin. This enhanced accuracy supports more efficient execution of time-sensitive events such as pre-arrival detection, order firing, and pickup. Testing has shown an average 50-second improvement in accuracy and 8 seconds greater precision across typical arrival windows. These improvements reduce ETA variability, enable smarter operational decisions (like course correction), and open the door for future capabilities in marketing, logistics, and order flow optimization.

What’s Ahead for Flybuy: Platform Enhancements & Smart Innovations

Context-Aware Marketing Solutions

Brands can now deliver personalized, location-aware promotions that reach customers based on their setting and intention. Whether it’s a 20% discount on snacks, limited-time flash offers, or relevant add-ons, these promotions are seamlessly integrated into the customer’s journey—boosting engagement, foot traffic, and basket size without feeling pushy.

Promotions & Coupons

Flybuy allows businesses to present proximity-triggered offers when customers are near or at specific points of interest within or nearby the store. This strategy aims to:

Promote special offers to boost online or in-store purchases, or create urgency with time-sensitive deals.
Encourage customers to go into the store for additional purchases when they arrive to pick up an online order.
Drive foot traffic to the store when customers are nearby.
Measure engagement to gain insights into campaign performance.

Loyalty Engagement

Flybuy enhances loyalty programs by prompting app users to sign up for their loyalty program, scan for rewards, or redeem offers as they approach the register. This feature helps to:

- Boost loyalty program usage by keeping customers engaged.
- Increase reward redemption by prompting use at the right time and location.
- Reduce support calls by minimizing issues related to applying rewards after leaving the store.

Smart Impulse Offers

Flybuy’s virtual impulse aisle surfaces timely, curated add-on suggestions—like a drink or snack—just before order pickup. These small, smart touches enhance the customer experience and drive incremental revenue through higher average order values. This approach is designed to:

- Drive incremental revenue by offering additional products at the right time and place.
- Boost customer engagement by owning the customer journey from ordering to pickup.
- Facilitate CPG collaboration by creating targeted promotions that resonate with shoppers.

Voice, Text, and QR Code Check-In

Flybuy is expanding its pickup offering with a new voice and text check-in option—perfect for customers who prefer not to use an app or web interface. With a simple call or text upon arrival, customers receive instant confirmation and pickup instructions.

The Flybuy Grocery Forum wrapped with attendees energized and inspired to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation in grocery retail. As consumer behaviors shift and economic challenges persist, one thing remains clear: the future of grocery belongs to brands that seamlessly integrate digital and physical experiences to meet customers where they are—both online and in-store.