Kroger Uses AR to Enhance Its Snapchat Campaign and Sees Serious Success

Shifting Shoppers’ Perception of Grocery Pickup

Kroger is an American company that operates more than 2,700 stores across the United
States. Like many retailers, Kroger offers customers the option to do curbside pickup for a
faster, more streamlined way to get their groceries. Hoping to shift shoppers’ perception of
grocery pickup from a backup option to the primary way to buy, Kroger worked with
dentsu X to create a Snapchat campaign highlighting how Kroger makes shopping so much
easier with free pickup and a personalized shopping experience.

Leveling Up the BAU Campaign Strategy with AR

Kroger opted to bring AR into their media mix for the first time to level up its campaign messaging and offer audiences an entertaining way to drive awareness of its grocery pickup service. The concept came to life through a gamified AR Lens that transformed users into a Kroger grocery bag, encouraging them to catch popular items falling from the top of the screen. Best of all, the AR creative paired well with Kroger’s Snapchat Ads, which used similar messaging about low prices, in-store deals, and more.

Measuring the Effect of AR

Kroger wanted to measure the effect of adding AR to its media mix versus its typical BAU approach; to do so, it carried out multicell brand lift comparing the Snap Ad-only strategy to the approach that combined Snap Ads and an AR Lens. The Snapchat brand lift study revealed that — when looking at the data by cell and ad product — the Snap Ads + AR Lens cell drove a +10 point lift and +8 point lift in Ad Awareness for the AR Lens and Snap Ads respectively. Further, the brand’s mixed-media approach of Snap Ads + AR Lens drove a strong lift in Ad Awareness at the overall level (+9 points), as well as a +6 point lift in Action Intent and +7 point lift in Brand Favorability among Kroger’s target audience of first-party customer lists, retargeting, and prospecting competitor shoppers using Snapchat’s native audiences.

Additionally, Snapchatters ages 21 to 24 also significantly contributed to the strong positive brand lift, with a +17 point lift in Ad Awareness, a +16 point lift in Brand Association, and +17 point lift in Action Intent. Ultimately, Kroger’s campaign on Snapchat proved that AR should be a part of their always-on strategy, as it proved key in achieving their goals.