IoT-Inspired Innovation

By Matt Pillar, chief editor

Kroger doubles down on the Internet of Things

As the IoT (Internet of Things) hype cycle finds its fifth gear, there are plenty of pundits, vendors, analysts, and tech futurists contemplating the great potential of a granularly connected retail enterprise. No matter your purview of retail operations, regardless of your disciplinary responsibilities as a retail exec, there are countless reasons to get excited about the prospect of seamless data sharing and interconnectivity among a growing host of devices, equipment, and infrastructure. Oh, the possibilities!

Meanwhile, the top brass at Kroger made a declaration years ago. We got the talking part done, they collectively said. Innovative Retail Technologies covered the company’s initial foray into IoT back in October 2015. Since then, the IoT initiative spearheaded by a cross-disciplinary team of Kroger execs including Director of LP Karl Langhorst, VP of R&D/OR Brett Bonner, LP Technology Manager Randy Christian, and Chief Technology Officer Kirk Ball has grown by leaps and bounds.