Kroger debuts self-driving delivery vehicles

Kroger announced that it has started using unmanned vehicles for online grocery deliveries. The services was launched at a Fry's Food Store in Scottsdale, AZ. It follows a successful pilot with Nuro, a California-based robotics and artificial intelligence specialist.

To use the service, customers shop for their groceries at FrysFood.com or via their mobile app, and place their order according to available time slots. The orders can be delivered that day or the next day, and are brought to customers' homes by the Nuro R1 vehicle or by self-driving Prius cars. There is a $5.95 delivery fee and no minimum order.

Kroger to test unmanned vehicle delivery

Kroger announced in late June that it plans to pilot unmanned road vehicles for grocery delivery through a partnership with Nuro, a California-based robotics and artificial intelligence company.

A test scheduled for the fall will allow customers to place grocery orders through Kroger's ClickList system and Nuro's app, and have their items delivered the same day. The pilot market has not yet been announced.

In addition, Kroger announced a partnership with British online grocery supermarket Ocado to build e-commerce fulfillment centers and build out its e-grocery platform. At the same time Kroger announced a deal to purchase online meal kit service Home Chef, as well as plans to launch Boosted Products in Search, a service that will "enable consumer packaged goods brands to reach digitally savvy shoppers with 'hyper-relevant' products in search results across Kroger digital properties," according to Supermarket News.