How Kroger Deployed IoT Nationwide [Case Study]

Our latest case study details how America’s largest retail grocer raised food safety standards

In recent years, the Kroger Company, the nation’s largest grocer, partnered with Mission Data engineers to develop several Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives to boost employee efficiency, including a temperature monitoring platform that has now been rolled out at nearly 3,000 stores. This technology led to the development of OpSense. Created to reduce a time-consuming, labor-intensive process for tracking temperature data, the IoT platform resulted in millions of dollars in savings, became a leading food safety solution, and improved labor efficiency and consistency.

Mission Data and OpSense are excited to announce our in-depth case study on how this solution was developed and executed so that other leading companies can learn from one of the largest IoT deployments in the retail industry as they consider IoT applications of their own.

The following is the introduction to “Kroger: An IoT Temperature Monitoring Success Story”

The Kroger Company, the nation’s largest grocer with $108 billion in sales, employs more than 431,000 associates who serve customers in 2,778 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 35 states. One touchpoint lies at the heart of the Cincinnati-based supermarket giant’s customer relationship—the store.

Although nearly a quarter of American households currently buy some groceries online, the majority of consumers want to see, smell, touch, and try products before purchasing. A global study by Nielsen found that 61 percent of consumers believe going to the grocery store is an enjoyable and engaging experience. To continually earn their customers’ business again and again, Kroger must ensure the shopping experience is pleasant and efficient, maintain competitive pricing, and they must genuinely care about the quality of the food they sell.

For nearly a decade, Mission Data has been a trusted research and development partner of Kroger’s, as the company has digitally transformed its store operations to embrace the future of retail. Throughout our work together, Kroger has focused on creating the most innovative solutions to improve customer experiences and workforce efficiencies while increasing its bottom line. Our engineers have developed several Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, and web-based solutions to support Kroger’s mission to provide frictionless experiences for customers and employees.

It’s no secret that the $650 billion U.S. grocery industry is extremely competitive, especially as Amazon ramps up its grocery delivery segment. Market leaders like Kroger know that now is not the time to scale back innovation investments. In fact, by investing in its technological infrastructure and capabilities today, Kroger is preparing itself for even greater profits in the long-term.

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