Fresh Grocery Operations: Shopper & Retail Leader Insights
Fresh departments shape how shoppers judge a grocery store, and they're also among the hardest parts of the store to run well. Earlier this year, the Logile 2026 State of Fresh Grocery Shopping Report asked 1,000 U.S. shoppers how fresh influences where they buy groceries and which stores they trust. A follow-up study, the Logile 2026 State of Fresh Grocery Operations Industry Report, then asked 200 senior decision-makers at grocery and multi-location retailers how they manage the fresh operations behind that experience.
Put the two side by side and the story gets interesting. Shoppers are making fresh the deciding factor in where they buy groceries, and most grocers believe they're delivering. Yet many of those same leaders say they can't clearly see what's happening inside their own fresh departments, where small misses in labor, production and waste add up every day.
Closing that gap is where grocers have the most to gain, and the infographic below shows where to start.
FAQs
Logile’s 2026 State of Fresh research explores fresh grocery shopping and operations through two studies: a survey of 1,000 U.S. shoppers and a follow-up survey of 200 senior decision-makers at grocery and multi-location retailers.
Fresh departments influence how shoppers judge a grocery store, where they buy groceries, and which retailers they trust. Logile’s shopper report examines how the fresh experience shapes those decisions.
Retailers must coordinate changing demand, short shelf lives, production, inventory, and labor. Gaps in planning and visibility can contribute to waste, out-of-stocks, lost sales, and inconsistent product availability.
The reports highlight a gap between shopper expectations and retailers’ operational visibility. Shoppers make fresh a deciding factor in store choice, while many retail leaders say they cannot clearly see what is happening inside their fresh departments.
Retailers can use the research to identify priorities for production planning, replenishment, waste reduction, and store execution. Connecting these decisions around expected customer demand can help teams improve availability and run fresh departments more consistently.
For more information on how Logile can help grocers connect forecasting, labor planning, fresh operations, inventory, and store execution, reach out today.
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