Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021 - 3

Editor's note
Editorial
JOHN UNREIN
Editor
ANDY NELSON
Managing Editor
EMILY PARK
Digital Associate Editor
Publishing
TROY ASHBY
Publisher
GRETCHEN WAGNER
National Account Executive
LILY ALVAREZ
National Account Executive
WHITNEY HARTMAN
Sales Enablement Specialist
MICHAEL BARBEE
Audience Development Director
DUSTIN PICKMAN
Audience Development Analyst
LAUREN JULIANA
Audience Development
Coordinator
JON HALL
Director of Digital Media
CARRIE FLUEGGE
Digital Advertising Manager
NORA WAGES
Advertising Manager
ANNIE FOURNIER
Advertising Coordinator
ELISABETH SPILLMAN
Design Services Manager
MARJ POTTS
Production Specialist
BECKY WHITE
Senior Design Consultant
FIONA DANKER
Graphic Designer
JIM WHITE
Promotions Manager
ABBY CHRONISTER
Promotions Media Designer
Corporate
CHARLES S. SOSLAND
Chairman and CEO
L. JOSHUA SOSLAND
President
STACI GRECO
Chief Financial and
Administrative Officer
MEYER SOSLAND
Chief Operating Officer
and Executive Editor
JIM SALADIN
Chief Marketing Officer
ANDY NELSON
anelson@sosland.com
Forward
thinking
If shopping for baked goods, prepared foods and other
items in your grocery store's fresh perimeter departments
feels more like an enjoyable experience and less like a
chore, technology deserves a lot of the credit.
Lighting - and, increasingly, in many cases even sound -that's focused on the particular
few square feet you're shopping in, rather than bathing the entire department if not store.
Ovens that don't take up much space but can turn out foods that rival many restaurants.
Cases that don't hog space in the aisles and are easy to navigate without straining your back
or eyes.
" Smart " meat slicers that tell their operators when they need to be cleaned, limiting your
risk of foodborne illness. AR technology that turns your shopping trip into an immersive
educational experience. Sophisticated refrigeration and logistics technology that brings
fresh produce and other products from around the world to stores throughout the United
States year-round.
The list of technologies both behind the counter and out front where the shoppers are
that has helped the perimeter make the huge gains it has in recent decades goes on and on.
In today's super-tight labor market, technology is not only a convenience, but an essential
for retailers.
Take inventory control. With Artificial Intelligence and other technologies, retailers can
monitor exactly what's sold, when. And with the right algorithms, they can keep just enough
product on hand to both meet consumer demand and keep foods from going bad and
becoming unsellable.
From the shopper's point of view, meanwhile, it wasn't all that long ago that consumers
had to rely exclusively on instore signage and print circulars to learn about the products
they were interested in buying. Now, with QR codes, learning which foods are local, organic
or pesticide-free, or learning how to prep and cook them, is just a click away.
COVID narrowed the gap between the digital and the instore experiences even more
dramatically. Those retailers who continue to be aggressive and progressive when it comes
to new technologies will help their fresh departments evolve even more.
A note to our readers
Supermarket Perimeter knows how important it is to have timely access to the vital
industry information and insights we provide. In addition to our industry leading print
editions, you can always stay engaged wherever you are with our digital editions at
supermarketperimeter.com/digital_editions. You can get the latest news first by signing
up for Supermarket Perimeter's newsletters by visiting supermarketperimeter.com/
newsletter_subscriptions. For assistance please e-mail us at subscriptions@sosland.com.
supermarketperimeter.com
NOVEMBER 2021 - 3

http://www.supermarketperimeter.com/digital_editions http://www.supermarketperimeter.com/ http://www.supermarketperimeter.com

Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021