With 66% of global consumers willing to access health services in non-traditional facilities including retail stores (EY, 2023) and traditional healthcare systems overburdened, astute supermarkets are stepping up as convenient primary care centres and bringing diagnostic tech in-store. Some concepts cater to specific demographics’ challenges, from senior-centric clinics to menopause support.

As more consumers adopt niche diets due to preferences, intolerances, or managing chronic conditions – aka ‘food as medicine’ interventions (see Key Stats) – there’s growing demand for concepts that tailor baskets to individuals’ needs. Astute brands are deploying AI, video consultations, IRL experts and medically tailored meals to counter poor food literacy and democratise precision nutrition.

By giving loyalty schemes a health-inflected overhaul – rewarding positive behaviours from achieving goals to activity tracking – smart grocers are positioning themselves as trusted partners in consumers’ self-improvement journeys. New programmes highlight the opportunity for tie-ins with tech, fitness and leisure brands.

Aligned with the beauty industry’s wider wellness pivot – positioning personal care products as an avenue to holistic health – smart supermarkets are ramping up the category’s clinical and ‘cosmedical’ credentials via virtual skin analysis, ingredient-led on-shelf curation, and spa therapies with a self-care bent.