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Retailers are preparing for one of their biggest weekends of the year as an estimated 164 million people are already planning to go shopping Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to the annual survey released by the Washington, D.C.-based National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

As more consumers embrace eCommerce, the mass merchandiser channel is seeing its customers siphoned away from brick-and-mortar locations.

Mintel, Chicago, announced three forward-looking trends that it predicts will lead the momentum of global food and drink innovation in 2019 and beyond.  

The quest to perfect and expand on traditional offerings continues to evolve as witnessed by national cocktail competitions, happy hours and step-by-step recipes on websites and cocktail chatbots, which are furthering consumers’ fascination and enjoyment of cocktails at home and on-premise.

In the world of beverages, experts note that the more products a brand markets, the more customers the brand will see.

When it comes to grocery retailing, analysts are seeing how consumers’ desire for better-for-you food and beverages have contributed to the growth of the natural and organic retail channel.

Although other channels might be closing stores in response to eCommerce trends, convenience store chains are expanding their brick-and-mortar presence.

The combined sales of the Top 3 club stores — Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club — reached an estimated $158.4 billion in 2017, up 2.9 percent over 2016, according to Chicago-based Mintel’s June 2017 report “Warehouse Clubs US.” Yet, shrinking households no longer needing to purchase bulk items, eCommerce profitability and the cost of membership fees are barriers to the success of club stores.

Consumers continue to look to the foodservice segment for quick and convenient snacks and meals.

As one of the category leaders within the coconut water market, ZICO has seen the evolution of the market and its consumer base.