This course will focus on the reassessment of how, where and when we experience food shopping. The past decades saw the rise of centralized, one-stop shopping and big box retailers, whereas now there exists a growing demand towards addressing issues such as food waste for retailers and increasing the real-time convenience of the Internet experienced in the physical world for consumers. The course will examine how conventional food retail channels will be disrupted by a variety of new services promising just-in-time and on-demand home delivery and automated decision-free shopping; virtual grocery stores in subways and ordering coffee from the dashboard is just the tip of the iceberg. Shopping will no longer be an episodic event, but rather something that can be done anytime, anywhere.
Goal:
Students will obtain an understanding of the evolution of the food shopping experience. Students will analyze wholly automated decision-making processes and become familiar with technologies, such
as drone deliveries, mobile shopping platforms that are and will continue to redefine how, when and where we shop.
Researcher at Dipartimento di Economia 'Marco Biagi'
Kirthi Kalyanam SHOPPING
Professor in the Leavey School of Business Marketing Department, Director of the E-Commerce Initiative, the Retail Management Institute
The Education Platform
The Food Innovation Program
is a 12-month full time Master’s Program that offers aspiring food innovators and entrepreneurs an invaluable experience in enhancing their professional goals and personal growth. The Program is structured in three distinct phases with final thesis project. First phases is the INSPIRATION Track in Reggio Emilia, Italy that offers an intense and comprehensive academic experience combining classical and innovative educational methodologies, such as foresight training and design thinking. Once complete, students then go through the ASPIRATION Track to expand their entrepreneurial horizons and engage in the cross-pollination of ideas, cultures and culinary traditions through a global tour of Silicon Valley, California, Shanghai and other Asian cities. Finally, the PERSPIRATION track includes laboratory training and prototyping in the Officucina, the unique kitchen maker-space designed specifically for the Food Innovation Program.
