Grocers: Meal Kits Pique Consumer Interest, And You Have The Competitive Advantage

Due to COVID-19, demand for meal kits is surging as consumers crave convenient fresh food. Online-subscription meal kits have tried to eat into the massive US grocery market for some time, but customers have churned due to factors such as cost and choice. COVID-19 has opened an opportunity for grocers to capture new loyal customers. Meanwhile, competition in the meal kit sector is heating up: In addition to grocery store offerings, quick service and traditional restaurants are launching prepared meal kits for COVID-19-weary consumers. Meal kits present new growth opportunity for grocers, which should use their competitive advantages of distributed store inventory, recurring store traffic, deep supply chains, and years of customer purchase data to win loyal customers and boost margins.