Grocerist at the 2024 NGA Show: Four Omnichannel Lessons for Independent Grocers
Grocerist recaps the 2024 NGA Show and four omnichannel lessons for independent grocers connecting ecommerce, marketing and in-store retail.
Grocerist
March 11, 2024
The 2024 NGA Show brought independent grocers, technology providers and industry leaders together in Las Vegas to explore what was next for grocery retail.
For Grocerist, one highlight was the panel “Omnichannel Marketing—Tying It All Together.” Grocerist Co-Founder and COO Matt Smith joined:
Jamie Collins, Dierbergs Market
Bryan Neiman, Neiman’s Family Market
Grant Lunde, C&S Wholesale Grocers
The discussion explored how independent grocers could connect ecommerce, digital marketing and the in-store experience while preserving the local identity that made their businesses distinctive.
Four lessons from the omnichannel discussion
Independent grocers did not need to build everything themselves
Smaller retailers could gain access to sophisticated ecommerce, marketing and data capabilities through the right partners. The more important question was not whether a grocer could develop every capability internally, but whether its partners understood grocery operations and could support the retailer’s goals.
A strong partner brought more than software. It brought practical expertise, responsive support and technology that could adapt as the business evolved.
Technology should strengthen local identity
Independent grocers competed through advantages that larger chains often struggled to replicate: trusted employees, community involvement, local products and long-standing customer relationships.
Digital tools should have extended those strengths online. The goal was not to make every grocery website look the same; it was to translate each retailer’s brand and service into a convenient digital experience.
Digital and physical grocery were becoming one experience
Independent grocers competed through advantages that larger chains often struggled to replicate: trusted employees, community involvement, local products and long-standing customer relationships.
Digital tools should have extended those strengths online. The goal was not to make every grocery website look the same; it was to translate each retailer’s brand and service into a convenient digital experience.
A flexible commerce foundation mattered
AI, retail media, ecommerce and new marketing capabilities were changing quickly. Independent grocers needed a foundation that could evolve without requiring them to rebuild their digital operation each time a new opportunity emerged.
That was one reason Grocerist built its food-commerce technology around Shopify. Shopify provided a continually developing commerce and marketing ecosystem, while Grocerist added the grocery-specific workflows, integrations and operational support food retailers required.
More than a panel
The 2024 NGA Show also marked Grocerist’s presence on the exhibition floor with its own booth.
The team met merchants already using Grocerist, spoke with independent grocers exploring the next stage of their ecommerce businesses and connected with current and prospective partners. Those conversations offered a direct view into the operational problems retailers wanted to solve—and new ways Grocerist and the wider industry could work together.
Thank you to the ShopToCook team for inviting Matt to participate, to the other panelists for a thoughtful discussion and to everyone who visited the Grocerist booth.
We left Las Vegas encouraged by the future of independent grocery and excited to help more food retailers connect their digital and in-store businesses.
Build a connected grocery experience
See how Grocerist combines Shopify with the technology and support independent food retailers need.