Kroger Taps TikTok to Expand Its Retail Media Ad Business

Kroger's retail media arm, Kroger Precision Marketing, is partnering with TikTok to let advertisers use the platform's self-service tools to target ads to Kroger shoppers based on purchase data. The deal expands a data-driven advertising model the grocer already runs on YouTube through an earlier Google collaboration.

Retail media has become a key profit lever for Kroger as its core grocery business faces pricing pressure from Walmart and Costco. The company is also leaning into digital with an AI-powered shopping assistant aimed at keeping customers inside its ecosystem.

The push comes at a challenging moment: Kroger shares are down about 6.8% in 2026 against an 11% gain for the S&P 500, and CEO Greg Foran has called the company's current cost growth unsustainable. Shareholders of record August 15 will receive a 39-cent quarterly dividend on September 1.