The Kroger Co. introduced its first Ocado automated online grocery warehouse this year in Monroe, Ohio, one of 20 planned in the United States with the U.K.-based e-grocery specialist. At about 375,000 square feet, the Monroe customer fulfillment center (CFC) carries thousands of popular grocery products and can fill thousands of delivery orders daily, Kroger said. The facility also can support the fulfillment of pickup orders.

Amazon has opened its first Amazon Fresh supermarkets with the “Just Walk Out” cashierless technology pioneered in its smaller Amazon Go convenience stores.

Albertsons Cos. supermarket chain Safeway is piloting a remote-controlled grocery delivery cart in Northern California with automated logistics specialist Tortoise. Albertsons said that the Tortoise cart provides a contactless solution for last-mile delivery of online grocery orders. Equipped with a camera and a speaker, the electric-powered cart is guided through the neighborhood by a remote operator. 

Convenience store giant 7-Eleven plans to test online order delivery in California using Nuro autonomous vehicles. Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven said the pilot in Mountain View, Calif., will mark the first autonomous commercial delivery in the state. Customers in the service area will be able to place orders through the 7NOW delivery app and have their products delivered by bot-powered vehicles.

Walmart launched its first commercial drone delivery for online customers with tech partner DroneUp in northwest Arkansas, beginning with a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Farmington.

Foodservice, fresh departments automate process via CM Systems’ ComplianceMate solution.

Produce, floral departments now online with Procurant purchasing/order management platform.

Two Pennsylvania stores to test Tortoise technology under Wakefern program.

Midwestern grocer Hy-Vee plans to pilot Simbe Robotics’ Tally shelf-scanning robot at five stores, where the technology will provide autonomous inventory management.

Big Y Foods has launched mobile checkout in about a quarter of its stores with an app from digital shopping specialist FutureProof Retail (FPR) called myExpress Checkout Scan & Go.

St. Louis-based Schnucks has deployed “storytelling” smart tablets from The Looma Project in the beer and wine departments of 89 stores. Known as Loop, the video program spotlights the people and shares the histories of selected beer and wine brands on shelves, boosting shopper engagement and enabling more-informed purchasing decisions.

FoodStorm’s end-to-end solution enables retailers to automate their entire catering and prepared foods operations — from ordering and production to payment and fulfillment — and manage it centrally. The company noted that the platform covers ordering over multiple channels (including online, phone and in-store kiosk) and integrates with a wide range of third-party systems.

With the help of the Invafresh fresh food retail platform, regional supermarket chain Price Chopper/Market 32 says it prevents 20 tons of fresh food from being wasted each week and is projected to prevent more than 3,000 tons of food waste over the next three years across its 131 stores in the northeastern United States.

Following a multiyear pilot, Walmart plans to roll out warehouse automation from Symbotic to drive speed and efficiency at regional distribution centers (RDCs). Plans call for Walmart to implement Symbotic’s robotics technology in 25 of its 42 RDCs.

Savvy retailers are recognizing that inflation could actually be an opportunity to utilize AI and price optimization software to achieve revenue growth while still keeping customers happy.

Automated “store on wheels” platform Robomart has launched on-demand pharmacy and snacks mobile mini-marts in West Hollywood, Calif., and has a grocery offering next on its list.

Walmart is putting artificial intelligence (AI) to work in making sure customers get what they like in online grocery orders. The company has developed AI-based technology to help its personal shoppers and customers make smarter substitutions for out-of-stock products.

The Kroger Co. has launched a pilot to deliver online grocery orders — to nearly any location — by autonomous drones. Under a partnership with Drone Express, a division of TELEGRID Technologies, Kroger will be able to deliver products not just to a street address but also on the spot, such as bringing picnic supplies to a park, sunscreen to the beach or condiments to a backyard cookout, the Cincinnati-based grocer said.

Amazon is bringing its palm-scanning Amazon One contactless payment system to Whole Foods Market. Offered by Amazon’s physical retail team, Amazon One uses custom-built algorithms and hardware to scan a person’s unique palm signature and provide a fast, convenient and contactless means of enabling everyday activities such as checkout and payment at a store, presentation of a loyalty card, and secure entry at sites like a store, stadium or workplace.

Occupying a three-foot-by-three-foot space, Sally holds up to 22 ingredients — including dressings, vegetables, fruit, nuts, eggs and meat — prepared fresh daily by Reasor’s deli team, enabling hundreds of combinations for salads, protein bowls and snacks.

The Kroger Co. earlier this year piloted an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered “smart” shopping cart from New York-based Caper Inc. Branded as “KroGO” by Kroger, the Caper Cart has been quietly tested at a Kroger-banner store in Cincinnati since October 2020. The technology enables shoppers to scan items and pay directly via the cart, eliminating the need to wait in line at the checkout area.