Grocers look to technology to stand out

Business Week: With little room to further cut prices or wow consumers with unique products, food retailers are seeking out new trends and technology that might differentiate them from competitors. "Grocery stores lose or gain about 10 percent of their customer base each year," said Neil Stern, a senior partner at Chicago-based retail consultancy McMillan Doolittle. "So the question is: Can you grab your share of new customers?"

One way a grocer can impress consumers is to get out of the way. Smart shopping carts, mobile coupons, and self-checkout lanes let consumers help themselves. They can pull up reviews on products, keep a running tab by scanning goods as they're placed in a cart, download coupons for them on cell phones, and pay without ever entering a line.

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