Kroger and Bed Bath & Beyond Launch Multi-Category Omnichannel Experience
Want some cheese to go with that cheese plate, or some diapers to go with that stroller purchase?
The Kroger Co. and Bed Bath & Beyond have partnered to launch a multi-category omnichannel experience, bridging the gap between grocery and household items and home decor and storage. The collaboration was first announced in November 2021.
According to Stuart Aitken, Kroger's senior vice president and chief merchant and marketing officer, consumers can find what they’re looking for “all in one digital transaction, saving our customers time and providing a positive shopping and gifting experience."
The digital shopping experience provides access to products from across multiple categories, including natural and organic, international food, specialty items, housewares and toys, expanding the retailer’s assortment of key products from a highly curated selection of third-party brand patterns, integrating into the Bed Bath & Beyond digital platform. The marketplace divides products by categories to improve searchability.
"We are very pleased to expand our customer base through the extensive reach of Kroger, the largest grocer in the U.S.," said John Hartmann, chief operating officer of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. and president of buybuy BABY. The e-commerce venture is powered by Kroger's Ship marketplace, which launched in 2018 and has added several thousand items from Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy BABY.
Watch the experience below:
The companies also announced that a branded shop-in-shop pilot in select stores will follow.
"We are excited to provide Kroger shoppers with a compelling one-stop shopping experience,” Hartmann added. “We're also well underway with the planning and design of our Kroger in-store pilot program and look forward to its launch later this year."
[Related: The Anti-Mall: How Innovative Store Partnerships Are Changing the Face of Retail]
Kroger has embraced retail’s digital transformation. In 2021, at the Groceryshop trade show in Las Vegas, Rodney McMullen, chairman and CEO of The Kroger Co., said that while some consumers had returned to in-person shopping, the volatility of the pandemic has caused many to “flip back online.”
But how far does the company have to climb to reach the peaks of grocery tech giants like Amazon and Target? Both ranked in the top three digital grocers on the dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index (RPI) this year. Kroger ranked 13th.
Bed Bath & Beyond has also made strides in its digital efforts, recently tapping former Walmart and IKEA executives to bolster its initiatives. From piloting scan and buy to launching an Uber Eats hub, the company has implemented tech to expedite the shopping experience across multiple platforms.
