Kroger Seeking to Improve Customer Pickup

Semi automation of customer pickup interaction and satisfaction.

Will electronic carts help Kroger fulfill curbside pickup orders more quickly?  by Matthew Stern in Retailwire

Kroger is introducing a temperature-controlled electronic cart to speed up its curbside fulfillment.

The cart, called the BrightDrop Trace Grocery cart, was originally piloted in Kroger stores in Lexington and Versailles, KY, and is marked for a broader rollout since the pilot yielded a noticeable improvement in both customer and associate experience, according to the Detroit News.

The cart is fitted with nine secure, temperature controlled drawers in which employees can stock grocery orders before wheeling the cart to the curb. It is mechanized to allow an employee to easily pull 350 pounds of groceries at a comfortable walking pace. The next wave of the rollout will be limited, but the companies expect wide-scale availability of the cart by 2024.

Curbside pickup experienced an unprecedented spike in adoption at the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic as government regulations limited in-store shopping and concerns about potentially contracting COVID-19 kept shoppers out of stores. ,,,  ' 

Kroger to Reinvent Shopping Experience with NVIDIA Omniverse

Want to see this ...

Kroger Reinvents the Shopping Experience with NVIDIA AI   in Retailwire

Kroger and NVIDIA embarked on a strategic collaboration to reimagine the shopping experience using AI applications and services. Discover the progress made by adopting AI and NVIDIA Omniverse.

 Register now: 

Kroger Rolls Out Belt Driven Self-Checkout Lanes

Will go to see this example of autonomy.

Kroger expanding new belted self-checkout to 20 Tri-State stores

Calls test of new high tech lanes a success  in RetailWire

Kroger says its test of new self scan checkout lanes was a success, and it is now adding them to 20 Cincinnati-area stores.

Kroger new checkout lanes   By: John Matarese    WCPO

CINCINNATI — Kroger says the test of its new high tech self-scan checkout lanes has been so well received by shoppers, it has just expanded them into 20 Cincinnati-area stores.

And it plans to add the new lanes in more stores this fall.    The checkout — if you haven't seen one in your store yet — uses a belt to speed up the process, just like the cashier uses in the standard lane.

This eliminates one of the biggest complaints about standard self-checkout lanes: The lack of space for all your items.   Many people struggle to get their purchases into the bags on the little carousel, sometimes dropping a glass jar.    .... '  

Kroger and Meijer give out free N95 Masks

Though I am both a Kroger and Meijer shopper I had not noted this.   Though have read that N95 are much better for the task, it is still unclear how much good they do in varying retail contexts. Still seems a good attraction for customers. 

Kroger and Meijer offering free N95 masks to customers  in Retailwire

ABC 12 NEWS  01/26/2022

Customers at Kroger and Meijer stores in Michigan can pick up free N95 masks while supplies last. “Wearing a mask and getting vaccinated continue to be the top defense tools in our nation’s fight against COVID-19,” said Dr. Marc Watkins, Kroger’s chief medical officer. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of the free non-surgical N95 masks and make an appointment today to get vaccinated or boosted.”  ... '  

Kroger to Take Bitcoin? .... NO!

Having  worked with Kroger was stunned by this earlier today, consider the implications.  But no was a hoax.  To influence share prices?   Walmart had earlier been struck by such a hoax.  I have often suggested that when the average person can readily convert  crypto to food, a key step will be taken.  When might that happen?

Kroger looking into fake press release touting acceptance of bitcoin cash

By Uday Sampath Kumar   in Reuters  

Nov 5 (Reuters) - Kroger Co (KR.N) is looking into the publication of a fake press release, claiming the acceptance of bitcoin cash at its stores, the grocer said on Friday, after becoming the second major retailer in recent weeks to get entangled in a crypto hoax.

The release, which said the grocer would accept the cryptocurrency this holiday season, appeared on Kroger's investor relations page and was later deleted.

PRN pulled the fake announcement and said it was "urgently investigating the incident including looking into any criminal activity associated with this matter".

Bitcoin cash is a fork of bitcoin's underlying software code formed in 2017, and was an initiative headed by a small group of mostly China-based bitcoin miners. (https://reut.rs/3bL8MNO) ... ' 

Kroger Drone Delivery Experiment

 Had not heard much of this, but Kroger is apparently testing at a Centerville Ohio Kroger not far from us. Can someone from there provide some observations?  Some interesting details in the article below. Given the limitations, is this primarily a pharma delivery experiment? 

Kroger takes flight with drone delivery test  in RetailWire, with retail expert comment.

Kroger thinks that drone deliveries have the potential to help transform its e-commerce operations.

The largest grocery chain operator in the U.S. announced yesterday a pilot program testing the use of autonomous drones to deliver online orders from a Kroger in Centerville, OH.

Jody Kalmbach, group vice president of product experience at Kroger, called the test an “evolution” of the company’s seamless shopping ecosystem including pickup, delivery and shipping.

“The pilot reinforces the importance of flexibility and immediacy to customers, powered by modern, cost-effective and efficient last-mile solutions. We’re excited to test drone delivery and gain insights that will inform expansion plans as well as future customer solutions,” Ms. Kalmbach said in a statement.

Kroger’s online sales topped $10 billion in 2020 as the company pushed ahead with a multi-year plan to meet consumers where, when and how they find most convenient.

The pilot program, run with Drone Express, a division of Telegrid Technologies, enables Kroger to identify dropoff points based on the location of a customer’s smartphone. This means that the store testing the drones will be able to bring condiments, sunscreen or other items to a park, for example, if a customer forgets to pack them for an afternoon picnic.

Customers placing orders can get their products within as little as 15 minutes. There are weight limits, however, with each order having a five-pound capacity. Kroger is offering special product bundles, such as child wellness (over-the-counter medications, wipes, etc.) and S’mores, which comes with all the fixings for the gooey, sugary summer delight. Customers at the Centerville store may place orders by going to Kroger.com/DroneDelivery. ... "

(The address at the end provides some public detail from Kroger and media connections I am following)   ... 

Kroger Data Breach

Had come to mind that retailers had been less susceptible here, but then an example:

Kroger is latest victim of third-party software data breach   by Frank Bajak  in TechExplore

This June 17, 2014, file photo, shows a Kroger store in Houston. Kroger Co. says it was among the multiple victims of a data breach involving a third-party vendor's file-transfer service and is notifying potentially impacted customers, offering them free credit monitoring. The Cincinnati-based grocery and pharmacy chain said in a statement Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, that it believes less than 1% of its customers were affected, specifically some using its Health and Money Services, as well as some current and former employees because a number of personnel records were apparently viewed. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Kroger Co. says it was among the multiple victims of a data breach involving a third-party vendor's file-transfer service and is notifying potentially impacted customers, offering them free credit monitoring.

The Cincinnati-based grocery and pharmacy chain said in a statement Friday that it believes less than 1% of its customers were affected—specifically some using its Health and Money Services—as well as some current and former employees because a number of personnel records were apparently viewed.

Kroger said the breach did not affect Kroger stores' IT systems or grocery store systems or data and there was no indication that fraud involving accessed personal data had occurred.

The company, which has 2,750 grocery retail stores and 2,200 pharmacies nationwide, did not immediately respond to questions including how many customers might have been affected.

Kroger said it was among victims of the December hack of a file-transfer product called FTA developed by Accellion, a California-based company, and that it was notified of the incident on Jan. 23, when it discontinued use of Accellion's services. Companies use the file-transfer product to share large amounts of data and hefty email attachments.... "

Kroger in Top 10 E-Commerce Companies

 Been impressed by looks at what Kroger is doing.

Kroger breaks into top 10 U.S. e-commerce companies for first time  By Marianne Wilson - jn CSA

The Kroger Co.’s digital investments are paying off.  

The nation’s largest supermarket retailer made its first-ever showing in eMarketer’s ranking of the top U.S. e-commerce retailers, taking the #9 spot.  Kroger’s e-commerce sales will surpass $11 billion this year, growing by more than 79% year over year, according to eMarketer. Topping the list is Amazon, followed by Walmart (see list at end of article.)

“The pandemic has shifted consumer priorities,” said Cindy Liu, eMarketer senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence. “Kroger will benefit from two tailwinds this year: Eating at home continues to be in favor among Americans, and there’s been greater interest by consumers in ordering groceries online. With these two forces at play, we shouldn’t be surprised by Kroger’s strong growth this year.”

Kroger’s early digital investments prepared it for what the year had in store. The company started investing in online grocery several years ago, and now has more than 2,000 pickup locations and 2,400 delivery locations that reach over 97% of its customers, noted Liu. 

Dropping off the list is Macy’s, which fell out of pace with the other companies in the top 10 largely due to declines in apparel sales, according to eMarketer.  ... " 

Restock Kroger Proves it Worth in Pandemic

Quite some good details here.

It took three years, but Restock Kroger is finally proving its worth.

The grocery chain reported first-quarter revenue of $40.55 billion, exceeding analyst expectations of $41.92 billion. What’s more, operating profit hit $1.3 billion up from $901 million a year earlier.

This profit growth is likely due to the investments Kroger has made to build out a back-end digital platform. The thesis behind Restock Kroger, which was first announced in 2017, was to build an Amazon-style flywheel that incorporated both online and digital businesses. “We’ve moved aggressively because the future is now. It has to be simple and seamless no matter what we’re talking about: in-store, pickup, delivery,” said Kroger’s vp of digital Matt Thompson to Digiday in 2019. Meanwhile, the company has also been growing its partnership with the UK-based automated warehouse company Ocado..... "  ... '

Kroger Tests and Provides Clinics

Widening services that traditional grocery provides,

Kroger unveils COVIDCare Plus coronavirus test program for employers
Kroger Health solution includes home testing kit plus clinical services
Russell Redman  in Supermarketnews

The Kroger Co., through its Kroger Health arm, today launched a coronavirus testing solution for employers.

Called COVIDCare Plus, the plan comprises Kroger Health’s FDA-authorized COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit, which became available in July, and access to clinical services offering primary health and wellness care. The program is now available in 17 states, with plans to roll it out to more states soon, Kroger said Thursday. .... "

Kroger to Compete with Amazon Beyond Grocery

Quite a move, will see how they can compete with established online players

Kroger to launch digital marketplace this fall
Partnership with e-commerce specialist Mirakl to extend Kroger Ship D-T-C pla
Russell Redman  in SupermarketNews

The Kroger Co. is getting into the online marketplace business.

This fall, Kroger plans to go live with a digital marketplace of third-party sellers through a partnership with e-commerce provider Mirakl, which specializes in B2C and B2B e-marketplaces.

Related: Kroger unveils its own online grocery delivery service

Kroger said Tuesday that, under the move, its Kroger Ship direct-to-customer platform will extend its ship-to-home assortment beyond groceries to a range of other categories, including natural and organic products, international food, specialty items, housewares and toys. Initially, more than 50,000 items will be available to customers, the Cincinnati-based retailer said. Eligible Kroger.com orders also will be able to earn loyalty rewards, such as fuel points.  ... " 

Kroger Tests Frontline Workers

Working on testing in the supply chain.

Kroger launches COVID-19 testing for frontline workers
Free tests come as company ramps up expansion of drive-thru testing sites
Russell Redman 1 | May 04, 2020

The Kroger Co. has begun offering frontline workers free coronavirus tests, based on symptoms and medical need.

Kroger said Monday that its Kroger Health health care arm will provide the COVID-19 testing through a combination of self-administered kits and the company’s public drive-thru test sites. Just over a week ago, Kroger announced it was piloting site-specific testing for Kroger associates in Michigan and Colorado.

“At Kroger, the safety and health of our associates and customers remains our top priority during this unprecedented time,” Tim Massa, senior vice president and chief people officer at Cincinnati-based Kroger, said in a statement. “Our associates have worked tirelessly to provide communities continued access to fresh, affordable food. We are dedicated to providing support and gratitude to our associates across the country.” ... " 

Using Kroger Pickup Service

My friend Walter Riker looks at Kroger Grocery Pickup,

Our First Attempt at The Kroger Pickup Service - We Like What We Found.

This past weekend my wife and I used Kroger's Grocery Pickup service for the first time. 

To begin my wife had talked to several others who had used this service and so we decided we had to find out for ourselves just how it worked. 

This is where it does benefit you to be a Kroger Loyalty Card member. When we went to the Kroger website and signed in, we found a record of what we have purchased in the past. I cannot remember when we first joined the Kroger Loyalty Card program, however, we probably joined soon after it started (in the year 2000) - I like to do things like that.  ... "

Kroger CEO Talks Now and Next

Good overall view by a major player.

Kroger CEO talks about booming sales, supply chain advantage, shopping habits in BizJournal

Sales are soaring at Kroger Co., but CEO Rodney McMullen said today in a wide-ranging discussion he's watching what the next phase of shopper behavior will be and has even talked with supermarket CEOs around the world to track consumer activity as coronavirus creates a new normal.

McMullen talked Thursday morning with Evercore ISI analyst Mike Montani for a fireside chat, or as McMullen called it, “a fireside chat without the fire” since it was done remotely. He covered everything from shopper behavior to in-demand products to consumers’ brand preferences for toilet paper. As head of downtown Cincinnati-based Kroger (NYSE: KR), the nation’s largest operator of traditional supermarkets, he should know.

McMullen said he has “regular calls” with CEOs of supermarkets in China, Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Canada.  ... " 

One Way Aisles

Will be seeing how this will be implemented at local grocery retail.

UPDATE: Walmart, Kroger, Hy-Vee, Giant go with one-way aisles to combat coronavirus
Meijer, BJ’s Wholesale Club also ramp up social distancing efforts
Russell Redman 1 | Apr 06, 2020  In SipermarketNews

EDITOR'S NOTE: Article updated with information from Giant Food.

Walmart, The Kroger Co., Hy-Vee and Giant Food are instituting one-way aisles and limits on customer count in stores as grocery retailers nationwide augment initiatives to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Related: Easter closing part of Southeastern Grocers’ expanded COVID-19 measures

This week, Walmart started one-way movement through aisles at an undisclosed number of stores, with shoppers being guided by floor markers and direction from associates.

“We expect this to help more customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop,” Dacona Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Walmart U.S., said in a blog post on the company’s latest social distancing measures.

Related: H-E-B sells meals from local restaurants amid COVID-19 pandemic

“We’ll continue to put signage inside our stores to remind customers of the need to maintain social distancing, especially in lines,” he said. “And once customers check out, they will be directed to exit through a different door than they entered, which should help lessen the instances of people closely passing each other.”

Over the weekend, Walmart began limiting the number of customers who can be in a store at once. The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer said stores will now allow no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet at a time, or about 20% of a store’s capacity.

The new policy will work as follows: Associates will mark a queue at a single-entry door — in most cases the grocery entrance — and direct arriving customers there, where they will be admitted one by one and counted. Store staff and signage will remind shoppers of the importance of social distancing while they’re waiting to enter, particularly before it opens in the morning. And once a store reaches its capacity, customers will be admitted inside on a one-out/one-in basis. ... "

Autonomous Vehicles to Bypass Safety for Testing?

Note the specific mention of Nuro, which is testing with Kroger and others.  I am imagining how it might work in a suburb like ours.

U.S. Lets Autonomous Vehicle Bypass Safety Rules
Associated Press via CACM
Tom Krisher

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has granted temporary approval to Nuro, a robotics company, to run low-speed autonomous delivery vehicles designed with no accommodations for human drivers. The vehicles lack mirrors, windshield wipers, steering wheels, and brake pedals. The approval marks the first time the federal agency has approved a company's request to deploy self-driving vehicles that do not meet the same safety standards for cars and trucks driven by humans. Under the temporary approval, Nuro must submit real-time safety reports to NHTSA, and will have to hold regular meetings with the agency and keep in contact with the community where the vehicles will travel. NHTSA will use its enforcement powers if it finds any evidence of an unreasonable risk to safety.  ... " 

Wal-Mart Thinking Robot Delivery

Saw this earlier by other retailers like Kroger.  Are we ready for autonomous delivery?   How will this coexist with traffic in the suburbs and city?   The liabilities? 

Walmart Teams With Nuro's Robot Cars to Deliver Groceries in Houston
The Washington Post
By Peter Holley

https://www.washingtonpost.com/

Robotics company Nuro has announced a partnership with Walmart to pilot-test grocery delivery via robot vehicles in Houston. Nuro already is delivering merchandise across the city from brands such as Kroger and Domino's. The sensor-equipped Toyota Priuses it uses have been mapping the city in the course of their deliveries, collecting data about traffic and customer shopping patterns. Nuro said the Walmart partnership will boost its insights into shopping patterns, and give the company a competitive edge by answering basic questions about autonomous delivery. Nuro's Sola Lawal said, "We want to understand how different demographics interact with and feel about the robots."  .... 

Kroger Doubles Down on Food Delivery

A visit to my local Kroger indicates that more people are actively ordering and getting it delivered.  In my own case have never even seriously thought of doing it, because I like to browse for cooking ideas for meals.  Was surprised that the order to receiving time was less than 30 minutes.   We are driving expectations upward.

Kroger Doubles Down on Food Delivery   By Gina Acosta  in ProgressiveGrocer

According to Kroger, the average time between placing an order and a customer receiving their food is less than 30 minutes

The next time a consumer wants to order hot food delivery by clicking on an app, Kroger wants consumers to think of it first instead of Uber Eats or DoorDash.

That's why the Cincinnati-based grocery chain is launching a partnership with a food delivery service provider to enable it to deliver fresh meals on demand without fees.

Kroger Delivery Kitchen Powered by ClusterTruck will be launching initially in Carmel, Ind. – where Kroger and ClusterTruck are jointly opening a fourth kitchen – as well as Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, King Soopers Delivery Kitchen Powered by ClusterTruck will serve customers in Denver.

"The way our customers order and receive meals is evolving, and ClusterTruck's innovative culinary and digital design is cracking the code for the future of profitable meal delivery," said Yael Cosset, Kroger's CIO. "Kroger is leveraging ClusterTruck's advanced technology to ensure our customers don't have to sacrifice quality and value for convenience when it comes to meal delivery. Kroger Delivery Kitchen Powered by ClusterTruck will allow our customers to access restaurant-quality fresh and delicious meals like never before and without having to pay excessive service or delivery fees."

Customers in Carmel, Indianapolis and Columbus delivery zones can go to KrogerDeliveryKitchen.com to place their orders online or download the ClusterTruck app. Customers in Denver can visit KingSoopersDeliveryKitchen.com.  ..... "

Kroger, Walgreens in Purchasing Alliance

Combining against Amazon's dip into pharma?

Kroger and Walgreens are in a purchasing alliance and seeking more partners   by George Anderson in Retailwire

The Kroger Co. and Walgreens have formed a new purchasing organization to cut costs and drive innovation.

The new group purchasing organization (GPO), which will be called Retail Procurement Alliance, further expands joint efforts between the supermarket and drugstore powerhouses. In August, the two companies announced plans to expand a pilot program that places Kroger Express store-within-a-store shops inside of Walgreens locations. In a separate test, select Kroger stores are selling a limited offering of Walgreens health and beauty care products, including Boots No7 and Soap & Glory.

Kroger CFO Gary Millerchip said the new GPO “brings together the best of two great organizations to reinvent critical components of our sourcing practices.” 

Alex Gourlay, co-COO for Walgreens Boots Alliance, said the expanded relationship between his company and Kroger will not only “create efficiencies across our supply chains,” it will enhance the ability of the two companies to drive private label innovation and meet the “evolving needs for value and convenience” among consumers.

Kroger and Walgreens are looking for additional partners to join their newly formed purchasing group.

“If another organization thinks they have significant buying in these areas, they could partner with Kroger and Walgreens to save and reduce waste,” Mr. Millerchip told CNBC ..... " 

Kroger Dark Kitchens

Been following Kroger for some time on their establishment of restaurants in stores, and  partially  prepared foods and 'food kits' and preparation methods.

Will Kroger’s dark kitchens cook up something good?  in Retailwire  by Matthew Stern

When customers order pre-made meals from Kroger in the future, the food that shows up at their door might not have ever seen the inside of an operation owned by the nation’s largest supermarket operator. But if the hype about dark kitchens is true, the orders should get there lightning fast.

Kroger announced that it would begin piloting the use of dark kitchens to facilitate faster food delivery with a service called Kroger Delivery Kitchen in three urban and suburban U.S. markets. The vendor responsible for the enabling technology, ClusterTruck, has been in operation since 2016 with its own menu and purports to be able to get food to customers within 30 minutes of its being ordered and seven minutes of the completion of its preparation. Kroger Delivery Kitchen will offer customers multiple menus of food selections and will not have any service or delivery fees attached. ... "