Popular viral trend grocery store tourism turns supermarkets into cultural destinations as travelers seek inspiration on TikTok. The trend started late this spring, with many social media users giving credit to a May TikTok video by @marissainchina in which the user posed for photos at multiple supermarkets and declared.
“This might be controversial,,, but I think one of the best things to do while traveling, is going to grocery stores.” … Technically, could you consider going to a grocery store sightseeing? Because it is a cultural experience and you can also get lots of things back as souvenirs.
The video has since received more than 422,000 views and the trend sees no signs of slowing down. According to a TikTok that user @caroluzitus posted in June wishing well anyone “traveling with people who see foreign grocery stores as an opportunity for cultural exchange”, it has accumulated over 3 million views.
In a video posted around the same time: “POV: you’re traveling with someone who’s gotta hit up some local groceries any time they travel internationally” also has nearly 2 million views!
Over the past several months, other viral videos have promoted markets in Greece and Thailand to Iceland and Turkey as must-visit tourist spots — even Cincinnati was featured.
With the food itself and grocery stores around the world turning into more and more cultural hubs, this trend is likely a reflection of broader societal changes, as travelers focus on experience over material goods.
Everyone knows how to look around for a bit at historical landmarks or iconic attractions and call it sight-seeing, but more than ever before people are seeking out the quotidian of life in discovering homes by living there.
The rise of grocery store tourism comes as consumers increasingly turn to social media for ideas on what products and experiences are worth treating themselves with. According to the 2023 PYMNTS Intelligence report “Tracking the Digital Payments Takeover:
Monetizing Social Media,” 43% of consumers shop on social media. According to CTV News Television remained the top pick of 65 per cent this week, yet with Generation Z and millennial consumers watched TV live at least some point in time.
Influencers — like viral TikTokers, among others — are increasingly influencing where individuals put their spending money. According to the PYMNTS Intelligence special report “Generation Zillennial:
How They Shop,” that group is 117 percent more likely than the population overall to say they have bought something in the past month at least partly due to a social media influencer or celebrity. People are more likely to spend money on food when they travel than in their everyday existence.
In the PYMNTS Intelligence Connected Dining series of reports, “Tracking the Impact of Digital Tools on Food Tourism and Travel Preferences,” we noted that food quality is indeed key when selecting a place to eat while traveling but only 16.4% consider national chainultipapplangs as their choiceufforcampsieed opponent – others all up.
For their part, many grocery stores are attempting to position themselves as destinations. FreshTake, a 42,000-square-foot supermarket in Augusta, Georgia, is an excellent example; in reality, this supermarket will have a five-hole golf course as well as an on-site café, bar, barbecue smokehouse, and firepit.
To open over the summer, according to WRDW at the moment, it would appear that this new store will be a while. And how about Eataly, the Italian-inspired food and wine marketplace chain, and New York’s three-Michelin-star restaurant and supermarket Brooklyn Fare, which includes a Chef’s Table as well?
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