Kroger has quietly shut down its e-commerce platform Kroger Ship after failing to compete with companies like Amazon and Walmart.
The supermarket chain ceased Ship operations in March, informing customers through a FAQ on its website.
The app launched in 2018, and allowed customers to receive orders over $35 delivered to their doorsteps.
The supermarket chain said the service would allow customers 'to shop when and how they want.'
Kroger expanded its Ship platform by allowing third-party sellers to offer items in 2020, and entered a partnership with Bed Bath & Beyond in 2022.
While Ship has been discontinued, Kroger still offers customers the option to place orders online through its Pickup and Delivery services.
It comes as Amazon continues to dominate the e-commerce marketplace, and Walmart revamped its delivery system last month, unlocking same-day drop-offs for 12 million more American households.
Kroger has not announced the reason behind the platform termination, and experts and social media users have various opinions on why it may have crumbled.
A few customers were angered by the decision and admitted they would no longer shop at Kroger because of the Ship removal. Others weren't surprised by the chain's decision.
'I think the main reason for Kroger axing Ship is that the service just didn't gain ground in the way Kroger was hoping it would,' Neil Saunders, from Global Data, told DailyMail.com.
'The idea of a marketplace with lots of products was conceived at a time when online was seeing great growth.'
Saunders added that competition from companies like Walmart and Amazon has intensified over the years.
'Kroger was a bit part player and just didn't do enough to convince shoppers to use the service,' he said.
'It will now focus on traditional grocery delivery which provides it with better prospects.'
Kroger is the second largest supermarket chain in the US, and is planning to hire up to 15,000 employees this year.
But it is facing backlash after an investigation alleged the retailer was overcharging customers by listing expired sale prices on shelves.
'Secret shopper' tests at stores in March, April and May found more than 150 items labeled on shelf edges with outdated discounts that no longer applied at the register.
This produced an average 18 percent markup on the items found, according to the report, but some items jumped by as much as 60 percent.
Ship's closure comes as other third-party delivery platforms continue to thrive.
Amazon's third party services brought in $156.1 billion in sales last year, accounting for 24.48 percent of the company's total revenue.
Walmart's online marketplace is extremely popular, and its e-commerce sales increased by 21 percent during this year's first quarter.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Kroger for comment over the service shut down.
