Microsoft partners with America’s largest grocery retailer Kroger for a connected store experience

Microsoft today announced its partnership with Kroger, America’s largest grocery retailer and global technology company. As part of this partnership, Microsoft Azure will become Kroger’s preferred cloud platform for Retail as a Service (RaaS). Using the power of Azure, Kroger will also pilot a connected store experience. Microsoft and Kroger will jointly bring the commercial RaaS solution to market.

About the connected store experience:

By using Microsoft Azure to store and process the data generated in stores, near the smart shelves and on Kroger’s app, the digital stores will introduce never-before-seen shopping experiences, including the latest generation of EDGE Shelf (Enhanced Display for Grocery Environment), a shelving system that uses digital displays, instead of traditional paper tags, to indicate everything from prices and promotions to nutritional and dietary information. Using Microsoft Azure AI, EDGE Shelf will connect with Kroger’s Scan, Bag, Go®, creating a unique guided shopping experience for customers.

“Our partnership brings together Kroger’s world-class expertise in the grocery industry with the power of Azure and Azure AI,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Together, we will redefine the shopping experience for millions of customers at both Kroger and other retailers around the world, setting a new standard for innovation in the industry.”

You can learn more about this partnership here.