Coles Smart Trolleys; Giant Food Fighting Waste; RMN Partnerships

Retail Media Partnerships

Retail media represents an $8.5 billion opportunity, and savvy grocers are gearing up their enterprises to seize their share.

Retail media networks have flourished over the past few years, and grocers’ strategy concerning that growth has evolved. Back in 2022, most grocers interested in retail media (63%) planned to design and build proprietary solutions, but two years later, 97% relied upon white-label and third-party solutions.

Effectively designing and running a successful retail media network requires cutting-edge technology and expertise, and grocers are leaning into the partnership marketplace to ensure success.

Grocery Doppio’s recently released infographic highlights some of the key third-party partnerships leading grocers have entered to set their retail media networks up for success. See which solution providers your peers leverage to capture their piece of the expensive retail media pie.

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Instacart's Smart Trolleys Available at Coles

Grocery technology company Instacart and Coles Supermarkets, one of Australia's leading retailers, have rolled out Caper Carts, Instacart's AI-powered smart trolleys, at the grocer’s Richmond Traders location in Melbourne. Customers can now bag as they shop and pay directly on the smart trolley for a seamless in-store shopping experience.

The carts are equipped with AI, cameras, and a built-in scale, which work together to recognize items automatically as they are added to the cart. Customers can watch their running total as they shop, and checkout directly from the trolley.

In addition, the carts sync to the grocer’s rewards program, allowing customers to earn points as they shop. Customers can scan their Flybuys card or Coles app to instantly access personalized offers and view in-store specials on the shopping cart’s digital screen. Equipped with gamified capabilities, customers also have the chance to win discounts by spinning a digital wheel on the trolley's screen during checkout.

Digital Grocery Shoppers Prefer Delivery

A recent study conducted by The Feedback Group found that delivery is now more popular than pickup among digital grocer shoppers. The majority (52%) of the more than 1,200 online grocery shoppers polled for the report stated that they receive their digital orders via delivery versus pickup.

Nearly half (48%) of respondents say they are spending more of their grocery budget online than they did last year, even though 90% still prefer to shop for food in a physical store. Helping fuel this rise in digital spending is the overall satisfaction customers feel toward grocers’ digital experience. When rating their most recent online shopping experience, consumers gave supermarkets the highest satisfaction score (4.45 on a five-point scale), ahead of other channels including Amazon (4.32), mass retailers (4.25), club stores (4.18), value retailers (4.01), and dollar stores (3.68).

Interestingly, older shoppers are more satisfied with online grocery shopping than younger generations. Boomers (4.36) rated their experience highest, followed by Gen X (4.26), while Millennials (4.16) and Gen Z shoppers (4.05) were less satisfied.

Progressive Grocer Honors Independent Grocers

Local and national chains received the lion's share of the coverage in the press. They have the deepest pockets and can invest in differentiated next-gen technology at greater regularity compared to their independent brethren.

Despite their smaller budgets, independent grocers are often the lifeblood of their local communities and can connect with shoppers on a more personal level compared to the bigger chains. To help shine a light on the top independent grocers from around the country, Progressive Grocer recently released its 2025 Outstanding Independents list, naming 16 segment-defining leaders.

“Whether it’s providing vegan alternatives, remodeling a store to feature its own candy shop, implementing low sensory shopping hours or creating welcoming oases in the midst of food deserts, this year’s honorees are tuned into the needs of their communities in ways that many of their larger competitors can only envy,” Progressive Grocer said in the report.

The 16 independent operators chosen for the annual list champion sustainability, tailored assortments, locally sourced produce, and provide a unique destination for their customers.

Giant Food Fighting Food Waste

Giant Food, a leading regional grocery chain in and around Washington, D.C. and Divert, a circular economy company on a mission to prevent food from being wasted, announced a milestone of nearly 80 million pounds of unsold food products processed since 2022, the equivalent of mitigating more than 37,000 metric tons of CO2e.

“Partnering with Divert has allowed us to make a tangible difference in reducing food waste and supporting our communities,” said Diane Hicks, SVP of operations at Giant Food. “Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in every facet of our operation. We’re proud to lead the way in transforming how the industry handles unsold food, and we’re excited to continue driving positive change for our customers, our communities, and the environment.”

Divert launched a recycling program with Giant Food nearly three years ago to reduce the amount of unsold food products going to landfills and to transform that material into beneficial products. The collaboration includes all 163 stores under the Giant Food banner across Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.

For food that cannot be marked down in stores or donated, Divert leverages anaerobic digestion to process the material into carbon-negative renewable energy and nutrient-rich soil amendment — thereby recouping the value of the food and advancing circularity.

In addition to these environmental milestones, Giant Food has significantly increased its community impact by donating more than 6.1 million pounds of food in 2024 — equivalent to approximately 5.1 million meals. Through Giant Food’s Meat the Needs Program and Fresh Food Recovery, each Giant Food store partners with local food recovery partners such as churches, soup kitchens, local food banks, and Feeding America to donate wholesome food for quick distribution.

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