The Kroger Co. has expanded its relationship with Google Cloud to support a customer experience transformation using the technology company’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience solution.
Under the expansion, Kroger will roll out Gemini Enterprise for CX nationwide to help make grocery planning easier through an integrated Meal assistant and Shopping assistant, providing faster shopping without compromising on unique customer preferences.
“We know our customers want an experience that is seamless and adapts to the context of their day, and the Shopping assistant is one more way we will transform how our customers will engage with us,” said Yael Cosset, EVP and chief digital officer for Kroger. “A customer planning a week of dinners, seeking recipe inspiration or jumping into a new food regimen will be able to ask our integrated assistant to create a shopping list based on their immediate needs, their budget and family’s unique preferences.”
Cosset said the company is streamlining every aspect of the shopping experience from building a basket and getting relevant offers and savings to scheduling a delivery. The Shopping assistant incorporates AI-enabled features including intelligent execution that allows the assistant to complete complex tasks from a single instruction, such as exploring meal ideas, building complex carts for a big occasion, reordering a past purchase or comparing product details.
The system also features an inspiration-to-cart flow that converts a customer request, like “I want to prepare vegan tomato soup,” into a guided recipe with a detailed ingredient list that can be added to shopping carts with a single click.
The Shopping assistant makes recommendations based on Kroger’s proprietary data and grounded in actual assortment, pricing and availability, meaning customers receive relevant suggestions they can act on immediately, the companies said.
In addition to deploying Gemini Enterprise for CX, Kroger will use Customer Experience Agent Studio to analyze interactions and intent on calls made by customers to stores to proactively identify and resolve issues earlier, enhance associate productivity and deliver a more seamless experience nationwide.
“Kroger is pioneering the future of commerce by embracing true generative and agentic AI at the heart of their customer journey,” said Darshan Kantak, VP of product for applied AI at Google Cloud. “With Gemini Enterprise for Commerce, Kroger will be setting a new standard for grocery, ensuring its agent becomes a comprehensive digital concierge across every customer touchpoint.”
Cincinnati-based The Kroger Company operates more than 2,700 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving more than 11 million customers daily through an e-commerce shopping experience and in-store visits.