Understanding the Shopper Journey at Kroger

In today’s competitive retail landscape, understanding the shopper’s journey is no longer optional—it’s essential. 

CPG suppliers and retailers must move beyond transactional data and explore the motivations and behaviors that drive purchases. 

This is where Shopper Intelligence’s Shopper Journey Wheel comes into play. It offers a comprehensive framework for understanding the pre-trip, trip, and post-trip phases of shopper behavior. 

Inspired by a detailed video case study on Kroger, this blog post explores how these insights can transform category management strategies, helping brands and retailers unlock growth opportunities.

 The Shopper Journey Wheel: A Holistic View of the Path to Purchase

At Shopper Intelligence, we break down the shopper journey into three distinct stages:

1. Pre-Trip: What motivates shoppers before visiting a store or a website? This stage involves planning, research, and exposure to external marketing efforts.
2. Trip: What happens during the shopping experience? This stage focuses on the shopper’s environment, including displays, shelf layout, and in-store promotions.
3. Post-Trip: How do shoppers feel about their experience? This stage captures satisfaction and feedback, providing actionable insights for improvement.

This framework maps the shopper’s journey and highlights the distinct levers that retailers and suppliers can pull to influence decisions at each stage.

Pre-Trip: Capturing Attention Before the First Step

For Kroger, the pre-trip phase is pivotal. Many shoppers decide what to purchase or where to shop before leaving their homes. Marketing efforts like digital flyers, email campaigns, and social media ads are crucial in steering them toward Kroger over competitors.

Key strategies for pre-trip engagement:

• Localized Promotions: Tailoring flyers to specific regions based on shopper preferences. 
• Digital Touchpoints: Leveraging Kroger’s app and website to showcase deals and build shopping lists.
• Community Connection: Using partnerships with local organizations to build trust and drive store traffic.

For category managers, the pre-trip phase is an opportunity to position their products as top-of-mind choices. By aligning with Kroger’s promotional strategies, CPG suppliers can boost brand visibility early in the journey.

Trip: Influencing Decisions in the Moment

Once shoppers enter the store, the trip phase becomes critical. Here, their decisions are influenced by everything from product placement to promotional signage. At Kroger, categories with strong in-trip triggers—such as impulse purchases—benefit from optimized layouts and prominent displays.

Insights for effective in-trip strategies:

• In-Store Theater: Eye-catching endcaps, secondary displays, and signage highlighting deals or new products.
• Mobile Integration: Encouraging shoppers to use Kroger’s app for real-time promotions or guidance to specific aisles.
• Cross-Merchandising: Grouping complementary products to inspire larger baskets (e.g., snacks paired with beverages).

This phase allows suppliers to collaborate with Kroger on in-store execution. Ensuring products are easy to find, well-stocked, and visually appealing can distinguish between a sale and a missed opportunity.

Post-Trip: Closing the Feedback Loop

The shopper journey doesn’t end at checkout. Post-trip feedback is critical for understanding what worked—and what didn’t. For Kroger, satisfaction metrics and shopper reviews provide a window into opportunities for improvement.

Actionable post-trip strategies:

• Customer Surveys: Gathering feedback through receipt-based surveys or app notifications.
• Loyalty Program Insights: Using Kroger’s loyalty data to identify patterns in repeat purchases and missed opportunities.
• Continuous Improvement: Acting on feedback to adjust assortment, pricing, or service strategies.

Category managers can benefit from these insights by refining their strategies using post-trip data. Whether addressing common complaints or doubling down on what’s already working, post-trip analysis ensures continuous improvement.

Kroger’s Edge: A Case Study in Shopper-Centric Strategy

Kroger’s ability to tailor its strategies to each phase of the shopper journey sets it apart in the competitive grocery landscape. By leveraging tools like the Shopper Journey Wheel, Kroger identifies opportunities to meet shopper needs at every touchpoint.

For example:

• In categories with strong pre-trip influence, Kroger invests in digital marketing and loyalty programs to drive traffic.
• During the trip, Kroger maximizes the impact of in-store promotions and cross-merchandising to boost basket size.
• Post-trip, Kroger relies on customer feedback to fine-tune its offerings and enhance loyalty.

Aligning with Kroger’s shopper-centric strategies is a win-win situation for suppliers. By understanding how their categories perform across the journey, suppliers can co-create strategies that drive sales and deepen shopper loyalty.

Why This Matters for CPG Suppliers and Retailers

The Shopper Journey Wheel isn’t just a framework—it’s a roadmap for success. 

You can prioritize investments that deliver results by identifying the phases that matter most for your categories. For CPG suppliers and retailers working with Kroger, this means:

• Strengthening marketing efforts to capture attention pre-trip.
• Optimizing in-store execution to convert browsers into buyers.
• Leveraging post-trip feedback to build long-term loyalty.

Ready to Dive Deeper?  

The Kroger video case study provides an in-depth look at how these insights are realized. If you’re a category manager looking to make smarter decisions, this is your chance to see the Shopper Journey Wheel in action.