AI assistants are grocery’s new loyalty engine

AI’s growing role in grocery retail

Across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, grocery retailers are rapidly deploying AI-powered meal planning assistants that can recommend recipes, build baskets, manage budgets and personalise food choices.

This shift marks an important evolution in online grocery. AI is moving from search and discovery to influence and action. Rather than searching for products individually, shoppers can specify a goal, such as feeding a family of four on a budget or meals that meet specific macronutrient goals. The assistant then creates recipes, selects products and builds a whole basket.

Owning the planning moment 

A conventional product search may result in a single item added to the basket. A meal plan, however, can drive the purchase of an entire occasion, covering multiple categories. As a result, meal planning assistants are proving particularly effective at increasing basket size and encouraging more frequent engagement. 

Early results suggest AI’s impact on meal planning could be significant. Walmart reports shoppers using its Sparky assistant generate baskets 40% bigger than non-users, while Albertsons has reported basket growth of up to 26% among users of its AI-powered shopping tools depending on the complexity of the search. These retailer-reported figures highlight the potential value of moving from AI-powered product-led shopping to mission-led shopping. 

More importantly, AI assistants are creating new habits. Unlike traditional ecommerce journeys that begin when a shopper needs groceries, meal planning interactions occur daily. Consumers may ask for healthy dinner inspiration on Monday, lunchbox ideas on Wednesday and recipes using leftovers on Friday. Each interaction reinforces the retailer's role and presence in household decision-making. 

Personalisation generates stickiness

The most advanced assistants are becoming increasingly personalised. By combining loyalty card data, purchase histories and a deep understanding of customer preferences, retailers can leverage AI to deliver highly relevant meal plans, tailored product recommendations and meaningful savings. This approach builds trust and strengthens loyalty and long-term retention. As AI assistants learn individual shopping habits, taste preferences and dietary requirements, shoppers will find it harder to switch between retailers.

In the UK, Tesco is trialling an AI assistant that uses purchase history, dietary preferences and ingredients already available at home to recommend meals and shopping lists. In the US, Albertsons allows shoppers to import recipes, photograph handwritten shopping lists and generate meals from ingredients already in their kitchen. Kroger's latest assistant can convert recipe cards, web links and shopping lists directly into baskets, while also supporting health-focused meal planning.

The momentum is not limited to one region

In Europe, Carrefour has integrated meal planning capabilities into ChatGPT experiences in France and Belgium, while Finland's Kesko is experimenting with AI-powered recipe inspiration in-store via retail media. 

Meanwhile, China is pushing the boundaries further. Alibaba's Qwen agentic AI ecosystem combines meal planning, product comparison, lifestyle services, payment and fulfilment within a single platform, offering perhaps the clearest vision yet of how AI-assisted commerce could evolve at scale. 

Why brands should pay attention

The rise of AI meal planning assistants has implications that extend beyond retailers. 

Historically, product discovery was shaped by shelf position, packaging, promotions and search rankings. Increasingly, AI agents will act on consumers’ behalf, selecting and purchasing products with minimal human intervention. Over time, those recommendations can become defaults.

This raises the importance of product data. AI systems rely on structured information such as ingredients, nutritional content, allergens, dietary suitability and price. Products with richer and more accurate data will be easier for assistants to recommend.  

Moreover, as AI assistants increasingly shape basket composition, they could become a powerful new retail media touchpoint. Brands may eventually compete not just for search placement, but for recommendation placement within AI-generated meal plans and shopping missions. 

For suppliers, success may increasingly depend on being algorithm-ready as well as shelf-ready. 

Looking ahead: trust will remain a barrier to adoption 

Despite all the advancements, AI meal planners will not completely replace consumer choice and agency. Evidence to date suggests most shoppers are comfortable delegating decision support while retaining control over final purchases.  

According to Capgemini, some seven in 10 shoppers have purchased products recommended by AI tools. Within the UK, ShopperVista highlights that one in five shoppers are using AI to plan or purchase grocery, especially at home. However, a global study of 28,000 consumers across 17 countries by WPP Commerce and VML uncovered that 33% of respondents would not allow AI to make purchases on their behalf, and 58% said they still cross-check AI-generated product recommendations before making a purchase.  

Trust therefore remains the biggest barrier to adoption. Shoppers are increasingly willing to engage with AI-generated recommendations, but most still want to retain oversight of their purchasing decisions. 

The challenge for retailers is to simplify choice without removing control. Assistants that feel helpful and transparent are likely to gain greater acceptance than fully automated systems with little or no safeguards. 

At this early stage of agentic AI, competitive advantage may come less from the sophistication of the technology itself and more from how effectively retailers use customer feedback to refine and build trust in these experiences. 

As AI assistants become smarter and more embedded in everyday routines, it is evident that for retailers and suppliers the battle for loyalty is expanding beyond the shelf and search bar to the planning moment itself.  

Why it matters to retailers and suppliers 

For retailers, success will depend on building trusted AI experiences that simplify planning, personalise recommendations and keep shoppers in control. 

For suppliers, ensuring products are discoverable by AI agents through rich, accurate and structured product data will become increasingly critical.