Dive Brief:
- Kroger has begun testing an online ordering system that would let customers buy groceries from home and pick them up at a local store.
- The system is modeled on Harris Teeter's "click and collect" program, which is already in use in 150 stores within that chain. Kroger completed its acquisition of Harris Teeter in January.
- The test is being conducted at one store close to Kroger's Cincinnati headquarters. And only store associates, not customers, are involved in the initial stages.
Dive Insight:
Kroger, more so than almost any other retailer in America, has hesitated to embrace online sales. But that couldn't last. So now, as we predicted back in November, Kroger is entering the space through a series of "tweaks," including the arrival of call-to-pickup services modeled on Harris Teeter's system, rather than a massive push into online delivery.