The CPG Guys
The Future of Grocery: Introducing GroceryLab with FMI's Doug Baker
Why It Matters
As grocery retailers grapple with AI, omni‑channel demands, and supply‑chain volatility, the ability to break down silos and test solutions in real time will determine competitive advantage. Grocery Lab offers a rare platform for stakeholders to move from concept to implementation, accelerating the industry’s digital transformation at a critical moment.
Key Takeaways
- •Grocery sector invested $10B in tech during 2024.
- •Adoption lag stems from siloed decisions and integration complexity.
- •Grocery Lab offers hands‑on, cross‑functional collaboration in Detroit.
- •Unified data and AI are critical friction points for execution.
- •Detroit symbolizes resilience, aligning with grocery industry's transformation narrative.
Pulse Analysis
The grocery sector poured more than $10 billion into technology in 2024, yet adoption remains uneven. Decades of thin margins, labor shortages, and legacy systems have kept innovations in functional silos, creating a gap between bold ideas and store‑floor reality. Today, AI‑driven shopper expectations, volatile supply chains, and relentless margin pressure are forcing retailers and CPG brands to rethink that model. Executives now recognize that simply buying new tools is insufficient; the real challenge lies in weaving strategy, data, people and processes into a seamless, omni‑channel experience.
FMI’s Grocery Lab, scheduled for June 2‑4 2026 at Detroit’s historic Gem Theater, is designed as a launch‑pad rather than a traditional conference. The event brings technologists, merchandisers, supply‑chain leaders and brand marketers together in a hands‑on lab environment where they co‑create use‑cases and prototype solutions. By stripping away passive presentations and encouraging participants to “make the sausage,” Grocery Lab aims to break down silos and accelerate the translation of point solutions into integrated grocery ecosystems. Detroit’s comeback story—once the heart of American manufacturing—mirrors the industry’s own need for resilience and reinvention.
The conversation highlighted data harmonization as the most acute friction point; fragmented, siloed data hampers AI deployment and slows decision‑making. Leaders must align metrics, workflows and culture across retail and CPG functions to unlock the full value of the $10 billion tech spend. Grocery Lab’s collaborative format offers a practical pathway to achieve that alignment, giving participants real‑time exposure to unified data platforms and emerging AI tools. As grocery retailers accelerate toward true omni‑channel experiences, the Detroit event signals a broader industry shift toward shared innovation and faster time‑to‑market.
Episode Description
The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Doug Baker, VP of Industry Relations at the Food Marketing Institute. As the food industry association, FMI works with and on behalf of the entire industry to advance a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply. FMI is a champion for the food industry and the issues that make a difference to our members’ fundamental mission of feeding and enriching society. The reach and impact of our work is extensive, ultimately touching the lives of over 100 million households in the United States and representing an $800 billion industry with nearly 6 million employees.
Follow Doug Baker on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debaker/
We ask Doug these questions:
How has your deep, hands-on operational background informed your view on where the grocery industry is today regarding its historical struggle with technology adoption?
What is the origin story of GroceryLab, and why was Detroit chosen as the backdrop for this launchpad?
How will the hands-on, think-tank format of GroceryLab actively help merchants and technologists co-design a 'zero-friction grocery ecosystem'?
Yet, you still talk about the friction between bold ideas and execution. With all that money flowing, where is the execution friction happening the most right now in the grocery sector
How will GroceryLab help bridge this AI divide so retailers and brands can speak the same technological language?
How does GroceryLab plan to tackle the practical integration of technology directly into the aisles?
How do we move the grocery industry away from legacy paper coupons and pure trade-spend into truly predictive, relevant engagement?
GroceryLab is bringing Chief Merchants, COOs, CIOs, CMOs, and Retail Media leaders all into the same room. How do you force these disparate functions to actually co-develop solutions together?
How did the early, unfiltered insights from these industry leaders help shape the specific, hard-hitting themes you will be tackling at the Gem Theatre?
What actionable insights or blueprints will they have in their hands to prove this was a game-changing investment?
Follow FMI on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmithefoodindustryassociation/
Follow FMI online at: https://www.fmi.org/
CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.com
FMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.com
SheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.com
Lara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/
DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.
CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.
Comments
Want to join the conversation?
Loading comments...