5 Grocery Store Trends 2025 from IDDBA: How They’ll Impact Your Aisles

1. Meal Kits & Family-Style Solutions Expanding

Convenience-driven meal kits have been a grocery staple for years, but in 2025, they’re getting a creative, hands-on upgrade. This year’s top grocery industry trend is all about giving shoppers the building blocks and letting them add their own twist.

Grocers are offering DIY-style kits that combine ease with personalization: think cupcake or cookie decorating kits for kids, build-your-own taco or breakfast burrito bundles, and snackable tasting boards featuring charcuterie, cheeses, or global flavor flights.

It’s a way to bring the fun of cooking or entertaining back home without the stress of starting from scratch. These kits appeal to busy families, casual hosts, and even foodies looking for low-effort creativity. For grocery stores, it’s an opportunity to combine prepared foods, fresh ingredients, and engaging experiences into one high-margin, trend-forward solution that keeps customers coming back.

• Offer a mix of fully prepped and semi-prepped components (like frostings, spreads, wraps, or protein packs)
• Merchandise kits with complementary items—drinks, decorations, or party supplies—for an easy sales boost
• Use signage or QR codes to suggest ideas for customization (e.g. “Top 5 Ways to Dress Up Your Snack Board” or share recipe ideas!)
• Test themes seasonally—like summer BBQ kits, holiday cookie kits, or back-to-school lunchbox builders

These interactive kits don’t just fill baskets—they create moments, and that’s what today’s shoppers are really hungry for.

2. Sustainable Packaging Is No Longer Optional—It's a Shopper Expectation

The move to eco-friendly packaging and sustainability practices is gaining serious traction. Compostable trays, fiber-based deli containers, and natural-colored containers (for better recyclability) dominated the show floor. Many samples were being served on mini compostable plates and trays, and vendors were sharing how they implement sustainability in their day-to-day operations. It’s no longer optional—it’s expected.

What it means for your store:

• Consider transitioning from high-volume items to sustainable packaging options, like recyclable containers or compostable trays
• Highlight your business' sustainability efforts at the shelf to attract conscious shoppers
• Use signage to tell your store's sustainability Story

3. Bite-Size Snacks Are Big Business

Snack food trends in 2025 are all about portability, playfulness, and portion control. Consumers are snacking more often and more intentionally—looking for quick, satisfying options that feel indulgent without overcommitting. 

At the show, bite-size was big: think single-serve protein packs, mini desserts, charcuterie snack boards, and globally inspired sampler kits. Even traditional items like cheese, fruit, and baked goods are getting the “snackable” treatment with resealable packs, combo trays, and kid-friendly sizing.

The rise of snack culture is fueled by changing routines like hybrid work, school lunches, road trips, and on-the-go grazing. These items aren’t just convenient for customers; they’re also high-margin and impulse-driven, making them a smart play for profitability.

What it means for your store:

• Stock snackable items at checkouts and coolers
• Build impulse-buy end caps featuring trending snacks in  tamper-evident packaging
• Offer bundles and buy one, get one free promos on new snack lines

4. Brand Mashups Are Driving Foot Traffic

From Biscoff^® Cookie Butter to Pabst Blue Ribbon^® Beer Cheese to SPAM^® Sushi, branded collaborations were everywhere. These products deliver fun, nostalgia, and virality—especially with younger shoppers.

What it means for your store:

• Subscribe to our Industry Buzz and stay ahead of the trends!
• Merchandise them in "What's New" zones or feature display
• Tie them into social campaigns or influencer sampling

5. Cleanliness, Automation & Customer Trust Go Hand-in-Hand

Retail food automation—like smart packaging systems, robotic prep tools, and AI-powered inventory solutions—remains a top food retail trend for 2025. But just as important: maintaining visible store cleanliness and sanitation standards.

At IDDBA, we partnered with PURELL^®, the leader in hand hygiene, to share easy-to-use sanitizer solutions designed for high-traffic grocery environments.

What it means for your store:

• Prioritize sanitation stations in your store entrance, as well as deli, bakery, and produce departments
• Train staff on proper store hygiene best practices
• 👉 Request your FREE PURELL sample kit for grocery stores and see how easy it is to upgrade your hygiene strategy