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CHANNEL BLURRING: BREAKING THE CHANNEL MINDSET TO UNLOCK GROWTH — ECOMMERCE AS A GROWTH MULTIPLIER


3. The Omnichannel Imperative


Digital platforms have permanently changed how food is discovered, purchased, and consumed. Click-and-collect, home delivery, digital shelf tags, loyalty apps, and QR-enabled storytelling create a seamless bridge between the physical and digital shelf. The “front door” for the shopper is now both a store entrance and a mobile device.


The result: traditional boundaries between grocery, foodservice, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) are dissolving—and those who adapt fastest are redefining growth.


Channel Blurring: Breaking the Channel Mindset to Unlock Growth — eCommerce as a Growth Multiplier


Deena Pitzele – TPG Partner Liz Mayer – TPG Partner


Matt Pierre – TPG Partner November 10, 2025


For decades, food and beverage manufacturers and operators have been organized around distinct channels—retail, foodservice, convenience, and now eCommerce. Each evolved with its own pricing models, packaging formats, marketing calendars, and go-to-market strategies. Those walls once made sense—until the shopper changed.


Today’s shopper moves seamlessly between physical and digital environments, expecting the same brand experience whether dining in a café, grabbing a quick meal at a convenience outlet, or ordering groceries through an app. This new fluidity has blurred traditional lines and revealed how channel-specific thinking limits innovation and growth.


What’s Driving Channel Blurring


1. Evolving Shopper Missions The modern shopper doesn’t think in terms of channels—they think in terms of moments. Breakfast may come from a drive-thru, lunch from a grocerant, and dinner via an online delivery—all within a single day. They value convenience, freshness, and experience above format.


2. Food Retailers Becoming Foodservice Operators Traditional retail environments are increasingly destinations for mealtime solutions, while foodservice and restaurant brands are launching retail SKUs to extend reach and brand familiarity. The result is a growing overlap between grocery, restaurant, and digital experiences.


Why Outdated Channel Thinking Blocks Growth


Many organizations still structure sales, marketing, and category teams by channel, not by consumer need or usage occasion. This creates silos that stifle innovation and obscure where true growth lies.


• Duplicated efforts and misaligned investments across retail, foodservice, and digital commerce teams.


• Inconsistent brand identity as each channel tells a different story or executes distinct pricing and packaging.


• Missed growth opportunities when insights from one environment fail to inform others.


eCommerce as a Growth Multiplier


For dairy, deli, and bakery manufacturers, eCommerce is no longer a separate strategy—it’s a growth engine and ecosystem enabler. Online discovery and delivery amplify brand storytelling, sampling, and innovation testing.


• Digital shelves reveal demand patterns faster than physical resets, offering real-time insight into flavor, format, and pack-size preferences.


• Retail Media Networks (RMNs) allow precision targeting and ROI tracking across both in-store and online audiences.


• eCommerce packaging innovation—such as resealable containers or thaw-and-serve bakery items—helps products move seamlessly across fulfillment models.


• Direct-to-Consumer pilots provide controlled test markets, generating data and feedback loops before larger retail or foodservice rollouts.


The most forward-thinking companies are using eCommerce as a test-and-learn laboratory that accelerates speed-to-market and cross-channel learning.


Growth comes from thinking occasion-first, not channel-first.


WHAT’S IN STORE | 2026 © 2026 International Dairy Deli Bakery Association


Industry Landscape


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