Supermarket chain Kroger is tightening the integration between the planning and in-store stages of grocery shopping through new upgrades to the shopping list feature in its mobile application that make it easier to find products.

Users of the updated app for iOS and Android can now find even more specific products for their shopping list thanks to the addition of popular items to the predictive text search capability. In addition, shoppers can now sort their shopping list by aisle location in their preferred store.

“We’re offering customers the option to sort by aisle in our shopping list in our iOS and Android mobile apps and on our shopping list within our .com sites,” said Keith Dailey, a spokesman at Kroger, Cincinnati, OH. “Our goal is to listen and be responsive to our customers, and aisle location was on the list of regularly-requested features.

“Aisle location makes it easier for customers to shop in any of our stores and find the items on their list,” he said.

“Customers will find aisle location for their ‘Favorites’ when they’re building their shopping list. Favorites are the items that are relevant to that shopper based on what they buy regularly.” 

Aisle location
The new version of the Kroger mobile app adds popular items at a user’s preferred store to the predictive text search in the shopping list feature.

Additionally, specific items that are added to the list from a user’s Favorites as well as specific items added from predictive text with have aisle locations.

Another new feature is the addition of 18 months of prescription history within the Kroger pharmacy section of the app.

Kroger has also simplified the process of selecting pickup times for refills as well as made some minor changes to the app front page and to how digital coupons are displayed.

Fuller experiences
Grocery stores and mass merchants are waking up to the potential of mobile to enhance the creation and use of shopping lists.

Last month, Target beefed up shopping list features in its mobile application with a bigger focus on deals and offers, including the ability to add Cartwheel offers directly from a list in the Target app (see story).

“Mobile is a key part of Kroger’s broader strategy to enhance our connection with customers when, where and how they want to interact with us,” Mr. Dailey said. “Our mobile app has improved steadily since its introduction just a short few years ago.

“We’ve moved from offering easy access to savings through the weekly ad and digital coupons, to providing customers with a full shopping list, information about their Kroger store, and pharmacy and prescription management all in one place,” he said.

“We continue to see strong mobile and online engagement from our customers.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is senior editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York