The editorial team selected Kroger as the Path to Purchase Institute’s first-ever Retail Innovator of the Year. But the selection was based almost entirely on feedback we received from the CPG marketers in our community who, among other accolades, lauded Kroger as “best collaborative partner during the pandemic” and second-best (tied with Amazon behind Target) in “readiness for the shift to online shopping” in the Institute’s Trends Report 2021.

Brands praised the nation’s largest grocer for being willing to “work with our teams to improve the shopper experience for our products, the category and the overall basket” and ready to “lean in and discuss topics in the spirit of making progress together.”

A number of CPGs also cited the ways in which Kroger “proactively shared insights on their shopper behavior and category performance during the pandemic” by providing studies, holding webinars and revising promotional activity to align with the dramatic changes taking place. “They had a broad range of programs that were available to support our business when we needed to shift our promotional strategy,” said one.

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