Avery Dennison announced it will begin working with The Kroger Co. to build a better associate and customer experience through RFID inventory automation technology. This collaboration makes item-level digital identification possible, enabling more frequent and more accurate inventory information to maximize freshness, reduce waste and improve the associate experience.

“Kroger’s customers and associates are at the heart of everything we do,” states Jordan Poff, vice president of retail operations at Kroger. “Our work with Avery Dennison will improve inventory visibility, which means products will be on the shelves when our customers want them, while enabling our associates to spend more time with our customers.”

This strategic collaboration will begin in the bakery department, implementing RFID-embedded labels on each item, providing significant time savings and valuable data to automate inventory management and freshness optimization. It is a foundational step in delivering a more seamless customer and associate experience across all fresh categories long term.

Julie Vargas, vice president and general manager of identification solutions, affirms, “For decades, Avery Dennison has been the driving force behind connecting physical products with a digital identity to unlock data accuracy and efficiency in retail and supply chain operations. With this collaboration, we are committed to Kroger’s initiatives to optimize associate time, reduce waste from overproduction and ultimately deliver a uniquely valuable customer experience.”