78 • November / December 2026• abasto.com • FOOD INDUSTRY Mars Envisions Automated Shopping and Stores as Destinations for Discovery BY ABASTO W alking down aisles to restock the pantry could become a thing of the past. That’s the vi- sion presented by Mars, which released a study on the future of shopping and retail on October 6. To develop the study, the company’s snacks division collaborated with consu- mer research firms Kantar and Synthe- sis. Together, they analyzed more than 180,000 data points across four conti- nents, including expert interviews, trade publications, podcasts, and news articles. Two Parallel Worlds The central finding describes a duality. On the one hand, artificial intelligence (AI) agents will take over routine shopping and turn it into a background service, almost invisible. On the other hand, physical stores and digital platforms will no longer resemble a traditional supermarket. Instead, they will function as spaces for discovery, play, and community that consumers will choo- se to visit. “We are on the cusp of a retail revo- lution—one in which people may never again have to shop for household staples manually,” said Neil Reynolds, global chief customer officer at Mars Snacking. Three Consumer Demands Based on this data, Mars identifies three demands that will define the next decade: effortless, personalized, and experiential shopping. Effortless. AI systems will recommend products based on preferences and inven- tory; the shopper will confirm. Accor- ding to BrightEdge, AI-driven referrals to e-commerce brands grew 752% year-over- year during the 2025 holiday season. Personal. The shopping journey will The Grocery Store of the Future: Less Chores, More Fun offer shortlists tailored to each individual and their health and wellness goals. Today, 39% of consumers expect personalized on- line experiences, according to TransUnion. Experiential. With daily routines taken care of, consumers will devote more time to what they enjoy. As a result, stores will focus on immersive experiences. Twen- ty-two percent of digital shoppers in the United States already make purchases via live streams, according to eMarketer. A Double Challenge As a result, retailers and brands face a double challenge. First, they must inte- grate predictive replenishment systems. They also need to transform their stores into sensory destinations that reward cus- tomers for leaving home. For the snacks category, the shift is sig- nificant. Mars anticipates that traditional browsing and impulse buying will give way to a supply process that occurs in the background. For this reason, Reynolds emphasized that no company can solve this on its own and called for working hand in hand with retailers and other partners. Mars, with 115 years of experience, states that it is investing to reinvent the category and in- novate at consumer touchpoints. That said, these findings should be viewed as the company’s own projections rather than consolidated market results. Even so, they offer supermarkets and in- dependent stores a roadmap for balancing the efficiency customers don’t see with the experience they remember. By the Numbers Behind the three key buyer demands. The bars show percentages exceeding 100%. Effortless +752% Year-over-year increase in AI-driven recommendations for e-commerce brands, 2025 holiday season Source: BrightEdge Personal 39% Of consumers expect personalized online experiences Source: TransUnion +15% Projected annual growth of health and wellness mobile apps through 2030. Experiential 22% Of U.S. digital shoppers already make purchases via live streams. Source: eMarketer +15.3% Year-over-year growth of immersive brand experiences Source: Mars press release