Partnerships
Kroger Allies with Ocado for First-Ever Robo-Fulfillment Center
The grocery retailer and a British online grocery have selected Groveland as the location for a fulfillment center that will use advanced robotics. “Deliveries out of Groveland will cover Central Florida and beyond. For more far-flung deliveries, the chain is working to identify ‘spokes,’ or distribution centers, where orders will be taken and transferred to delivery trucks for their final destinations.”
Customer Experience
Kraft Heinz App Simplifies Meal Plans
The brand has launched a new app, Meal Hero, which “learns about users’ preferences to create tailor-made recipe and shopping recommendations based on preferred ingredients, diet, nutrition markers, retail availability, and more. An interactive shopping list, automatically generated when meals are added to a user’s weekly plan, can be sent to Instacart through the app for home delivery.”
How Carter’s Became a Staple in Children’s Wardrobes
The children’s apparel brand has experienced ups and downs (notable when Toys ‘R Us closed) but has maintained appeal for both boomer and millennial parents. “In 2017, the company created Simple Joys by Carter’s to reach more affluent and ‘digital savvy’ millennials. As a result, the retailer’s biggest competitors—Walmart, Target, and Amazon—are also its largest customers.”
McDonald’s Same-Store Sales Hit Four-Year High
The QSR is having a strong year. “Store remodels, ditching bloated menus, and drive-thru innovations are paying off for McDonald’s Corp., which reported its highest increase in US same-store sales since launching all-day breakfast in late 2015.”
Data
Will CCPA Have GDPR-Like Effects?
New data privacy regulations are coming to California, and their effects will be like GDPR in some respects, different in others. “CCPA and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) help customers better understand and access the personal information companies have on them, but the biggest difference between the regulations is that CCPA requires opt-out consent, as opposed to GDPR’s opt-in consent. Unsurprisingly, GDPR caused a reduction in marketing database contacts when it went into effect.”