Kroger Testing Digital Shelves

Kroger is full steam ahead testing its EDGE digital shelf technology and find shoppers prefer the new shelving style.

A test using eight secret shoppers at Kroger's QFC test store in Redmond, WA, for the grocer's new digital shelf technology found that most patrons favored the innovation over traditional shelf tags, market researcher Field Agent has reported.

According to Progressive Grocer, RIS’ sister publication, the new shelves were preferred by seven out of eight mystery shoppers, whereas the remaining one would rather see traditional tags on shelves. This initiative is part of the grocery giant's new Retail as a Service (RaaS) platform developed in partnership with Microsoft.

When asked how influential they thought brand messaging on the digital shelves would be over their purchase decisions, half of them said "very" or "extremely" influential, while three said "somewhat influential." Only one said "not very influential."

The Kroger Technology team has developed a smart technology system, powered by Microsoft Azure and connected by IoT sensors, to transform two pilot stores located in Monroe, OH and Redmond, WA. The pilot stores leverage RaaS, establishing a way to quickly add innovations to create new customer experiences, enable higher levels of personalization through insights and enhance store associate productivity. For more on this click here.

To read the Progressive Grocer article, click here.