Do you live near Monroe, OH or Redmond, WA? If you do (or happen to be driving through), you may want to stop by a Kroger store in the area to be one of the first to test Kroger’s new connected store experience. These two pilot stores will use RaaS (Retail as a Service), powered by Microsoft Azure, to personalize customer experience, improve employee efficiency, and enhance in-store advertising opportunities to CPG brands.
Shoppers will have never-before-seen experiences using EDGE™ Shelf by connecting with Kroger’s Scan, Bag, Go®. Powered by Microsoft Azure, this technology will direct customers on a personalized shopping experience. Additionally, associate’s productivity will be increased by reducing the time necessary to fulfill curbside pickup orders and address out-of-stock issues. CPG brands can also leverage this technology to create customized digital advertising campaigns based on consumer demographics in the aisle as consumers are shopping in real time.
The appeal of this RaaS is unique because it was built by a retailer for retailers. Therefore, the software was created with insights into an industry a tech company, like Microsoft, would not have had otherwise. The partnership between Microsoft and Kroger is groundbreaking because it has the potential to transform the grocery retail industry.