Retail innovators plan for a supermarket of the future

A retail innovator has developed plans for a supermarket that focuses mainly on personalized customer service and sustainability.

At Springwise, we have explored several innovations in retail that focus on turning shopping into an experience. These have included a street that focuses on sustainable shopping and a store in Shanghai that includes a relaxation room for men. Now, retail innovators Evvo have developed plans for turning supermarket shopping into a personalized experience centered around technology. Dubbed Superlab, the project began as a research study into how supermarkets can best align online shopping with physical shopping. Based on this research, Evvo envisioned the supermarket of the future.

Evvo’s futuristic designs offer a totally personalized supermarket. It features specially trained staff to discuss the customers’ dietary needs and previous shopping habits. Staff would also help customers develop weekly menus, before selecting food items to fit. Items will largely be chosen from a touch screen, rather than by walking around the store. However, some items will be displayed on shelves in an exhibition space. Instead of lining up to pay, shoppers can pay at the screens, and the food will either be brought out to them or delivered to their homes.

Evvo also proposes ways for SuperLab to stay connected to customers, learning when customers will need a product and placing it on their shopping list. By gauging its customers’ needs, SuperLab will be able to hold a minimum amount of stock, reducing wastage and transportation miles. By having fewer shelves, it will also have less packaging. The concept store will also focus on sustainability. It will grow some fresh produce on site, and primarily feature food grown using biodynamic methods. In addition, the structure itself will use recyclable materials with ecological coatings such as Krion K-life. SuperLab is primarily an exercise in envisioning what a store of the future might look like, there are no plans at present to build one. Will stores like SuperLab be the supermarkets of the future?