Kroger and UK-based Ocado have opened the first of up to 20 fully automated fulfillment centers, which use artificial intelligence, robots with totes and a proprietary control system to pick and pack deliveries. "This could not come at a better time and is really helping us accelerate the growth and capture all of that growing demand from our customers," said Kroger's Yael Cosset.

Kroger, which recorded record-breaking digital performance in the first quarter, has been named in Computerworld's 2020 Top 100 Best Places to Work in IT. The grocer, the only food retailer on the list, was ranked 51st and cited for having an innovative workplace culture that Chief Technology Officer Yael Cosset says is "fundamentally changing the way we serve customers."

Yael Cosset will become Kroger's chief information officer and an executive vice president, moving up from the position of chief digital officer. Cosset previously oversaw Kroger's analytics division and was a leader for the data analytics firm dunnhumby.

Kroger has used partnerships with firms from Ocado to Alibaba to help it quickly transform the customer experience it provides, Kroger Chief Digital Officer Yael Cosset said at the Grocery Shop conference. "We've made a point of staying on strategy and really narrowing the scope of partnerships to make sure they deliver high impact to the customer experience in a short time," Cosset said.

Function of Beauty used customer feedback to help create its new purple shampoo, which is designed to cut down on brassiness in blonde hair. Customers asked for a purple shampoo during surveys and contacted the company directly, driving the brand to create and test several versions before putting a finished product on the market.