Kroger, Instacart Deepen Partnership to Expand AI-Driven Digital Shopping
Kroger and Instacart are expanding their longstanding partnership to further integrate AI-powered experiences across Kroger’s digital platforms — a move designed to enhance both customer convenience and brand engagement opportunities.
Under the agreement, Instacart remains Kroger’s primary fulfillment and delivery partner across Kroger.com and the Kroger mobile app, powering delivery from nearly 2,700 stores under more than 20 banners nationwide. The companies are also deepening collaboration on AI features, retail media opportunities and operational efficiency to create a more personalized, responsive shopping experience.
A Step Toward 'Agentic' Shopping
Kroger will be among the first retailers to introduce Instacart’s new AI-powered “Cart Assistant” to shoppers using the retailer’s iOS app, per a media release. The conversational AI tool is designed to help users discover meal ideas, build baskets and plan purchases more intuitively — blending product discovery, personalization and convenience.
For Kroger’s digital commerce and marketing ecosystem, the tool represents another step toward “agentic shopping,” where AI agents assist shoppers in real time to anticipate needs, simplify planning and streamline the path to purchase.
"Agentic shopping has the potential to change the way American families shop and eat," Yael Cosset, executive vice president and chief digital officer for Kroger, said in the release.
This evolution could also redefine how CPGs engage within retailer-owned digital environments, as AI increasingly influences which products and promotions surface in search, recommendations and basket building.
Retail Media and Data Implications
The expanded partnership also includes new opportunities for brands to connect with Kroger’s digital shoppers through enhanced engagement and retail media options. Both companies have been exploring more integrated campaign capabilities, combining Instacart Ads with Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM) to help CPGs activate data-driven messaging at the point of purchase.
Also: Why Kroger Precision Marketing Wanted a Full-Funnel Reset
By aligning on shared data infrastructure and AI-enabled personalization, the partnership could enable more closed-loop measurement and media efficiency.
Speed, Efficiency and Scale
Operationally, Instacart will continue to handle the majority of Kroger’s digital order fulfillment, supporting faster delivery and improved accuracy. The companies are expanding access to Express Delivery, the retailer’s 30 minute fulfillment option.
The delivery enhancements aim not only to strengthen Kroger’s last-mile capabilities but also to capture new trip occasions and drive incremental digital basket growth, both key focus areas as the grocer scales its omnichannel business.
Kroger and Instacart first began working together in 2017 and have since introduced several retail tech innovations, including nationwide delivery, AI-powered “Caper Carts” and fuel-points integration across both platforms. Their ongoing collaboration reflects a continued push to blend e-commerce, fulfillment and media into a unified customer experience.
