Kroger expands retail media on TikTok, signaling pressure for Trader Joe's

Kroger is pushing its retail media business deeper into TikTok, using purchase-data audiences inside the platform’s self-service ad tools to reach Kroger shoppers directly. The move extends the chain’s earlier work with Google on YouTube and puts more of Kroger’s growth story in the hands of advertisers who want to influence a basket before a shopper reaches the aisle.

Kroger put numbers behind the strategy in its June 18 first-quarter results: Kroger Precision Marketing profit grew more than 20%, while adjusted e-commerce sales rose 19%. Kroger said households that engage with social media spend twice as much as the average Kroger customer, and more than two-thirds of shoppers it surveyed said social media prompted them to buy at least one grocery, household, or personal-care item in the past six months.

Trader Joe’s says it does not sell products online, does not offer curbside pickup or delivery, and does not work with third-party delivery services such as Instacart or Dumpling because they cannot match its in-store value and shopping experience. The company says it is a national chain of neighborhood grocery stores that has been transforming grocery shopping into a welcoming journey full of discovery and fun since 1967, and its product pages say the best place for product information is still a neighborhood Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe’s own podcast and website emphasize limited-time products and “new discoveries.”

When the pastel mini tote bags relaunched on April 8, 2025, Placer.ai said visits jumped 21.2% versus the year-to-date Tuesday average, making it the grocer’s busiest Tuesday of 2025. Elizabeth Lafontaine of Placer.ai said Trader Joe’s appeal to social-media-influenced consumers may help explain that response. Trader Joe’s opened 34 new stores in 2024.