ALL ABOUT KROGER ONLINE MARKETPLACE.

By Scott Murphy

International Consultant, Masei & Ryland

Kroger is a US retail company that operates 2,719 supermarkets and department stores in 35 states across the country. The company has a rich history dating back to 1883, and is currently ranked #25 on the Fortune 500. With headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, it is also the nation’s largest grocery retailer (and largest by revenue). It recently launched its own online marketplace. 

So what is Kroger Marketplace? And how can brands get their products listed there?

THE KROGER MARKETPLACE

The Kroger Marketplace simply refers to the company’s online-third party marketplace, as opposed to its physical stores. While Kroger’s annual revenue for 2024 was a whopping US$150 billion, a 1.2% increase from 2023, digital sales made up nearly US$18 billion. 

Not only are sales increasing online, but Kroger is ranked #6 amongst the North America’s largest online retailers. It’s also number one in the Top 1,000’s Food & Beverage Category.

As e-commerce continues to grow, many online companies, like Kroger, have attempted to expand their businesses by hosting products from third parties. Similar to the Amazon and eBay propositions, the likes of Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Kroger are all now operating third-party marketplaces.

During the pandemic, the increase in sales largely dates back to the end of 2020, when the company noticed how the shopping habits of its customers were changing. Users of Kroger Ship – the service which saw shopping delivered to customer’s homes – were constantly increasing, and Kroger doubled down on the opportunity. It aimed to allow third-party sellers to offer products through the Kroger platform. “Many retailers have transactional data, but no one has the customer data and the insights that Kroger has,” claims Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen.

The Kroger Co. is expanding its Kroger Ship direct-to-consumer offering to include an extended ship-to-home assortment through a marketplace of third-party sellers powered by Mirakl, an e-commerce software developer based in Paris.

More than 50,000 additional items across multiple categories, including natural and organic, international food, specialty items, housewares and toys, will initially be available to customers. The addition is expected to launch this fall.  

In addition to recently opening a series of large customer fulfillment centers across the U.S., the marketplace offers 2.2 million products across a wide spectrum of categories, including Houseware, Furniture, Electronics, Garden/Outdoors, Baby, Beauty, Health/Personal Care, Home Essentials, Pet, and Groceries.

HOW TO JOIN THE MARKETPLACE

Unlike Amazon and eBay, the Kroger Marketplace is a closed & uncrated marketplace. This means that the company decides which sellers are allowed to sell on its platform.

By joining the marketplace, sellers gain unique benefits such as access to Kroger’s 62 million-strong customer base, a seamless integration of listings across Kroger.com and their affiliates, a dedicated marketplace team, and face a lack of competition at the SKU level.

Potential marketplace vendors also need to have the following items in order to meet their criteria:

1) US Business Registration and US-based bank account,

2) EIN Tax ID

3) GS1 Certified UPC12/EAN13,

4) The capability to ship from a US warehouse within 24 hours,

5) Online sales history & records in other platforms (Amazon & Walmart)

“We can definitely help pave the way for a smooth application process as we have established a relationship with the team at Kroger’s Marketplace,” says Masei & Ryland CEO Alan Lee.
“We can consult with you about your wants and needs, whether your brand can potentially qualify to be part of the marketplace, discuss the possibilities for your brand with Kroger, and talk about how we can manage your product or products efficiently once you are onboard. Contact us for a free consultation!”