The Friday Checkout is a weekly column providing more insight on the news, rounding up the announcements you may have missed and sharing what’s to come.
Judging from the slew of recent announcements heralding how grocers are using artificial intelligence, the arrival of the high-profile technology seems to be one of the buzziest developments in the grocery industry.
But even as retailers such as Albertsons, Walmart and Wakefern Food Corp. embrace consumer-facing AI-powered tools, newly released data suggests that consumer adoption of AI for grocery shopping is still in the early stages.
Only 15% of U.S. consumers surveyed by Dunnhumby said they have used AI tools such as ChatGPT to help with their grocery shopping in the last year, according to the retail analytics firm’s latest Consumer Trends Tracker. In reality, the top reasons people have tried AI tools are to get help with shopping lists and price comparisons, Dunnhumby found.
“[M]ost consumers currently do not use AI for their grocery shopping, and either ‘don’t see the need’ (38%) or prefer to ‘make their own decisions’ (37%),” Dunnhumby wrote in its report. “US consumers are also significantly less trusting of AI recommendations than the Americas average.”
While AI adoption is still nascent among grocery shoppers, there are signs that people are interested in testing the waters. Twenty-eight percent of people who participated in Dunnhumby’s survey said they are likely to use that AI technology within the next year when shopping, indicating that this could be a ripe area for grocers to explore.
In case you missed it
Snow and cold drove shoppers to grocery stores
The stretch of tough winter weather that beset much of the country in late January turned out to be a boon for grocers. Retail food and beverage volume jumped 18% during the week that ended Jan. 25 as people turned to at-home eating in the face of crippling snow, ice and sub-freezing temperatures, according to Circana’s most recent Demand Signals report.
UFCW blasts USDA over meat-packing speeds
The labor union pushed back on the Trump administration’s proposal this week to allow meatpacking plants to run their production lines more quickly.
The Department of Agriculture said its plan to update the line speed regulations that govern operations in poultry- and pork-processing facilities is justified by “years of data and experience” and would “support a more efficient and resilient food supply.” The UFCW, however, warned that accelerating line speeds would be dangerous for workers and could result in production delays due to injuries.
Publix is expanding in the Bluegrass State
The supermarket chain has signed a lease for a new location in Shelbyville, Kentucky, continuing its expansion in the state, where it currently operates six stores. The retailer did not provide an opening date for the upcoming location, which will span 50,325 square feet at the corner of Freedoms Way and The Point Boulevard and employ about 140 people.
Impulse find
H-E-B sings the blues
H-E-B will host live music events at True Texas BBQ restaurants at two of its Austin stores during the next few months, according to the grocer’s website.
H-E-B’s South Congress store in the city will host events in the True Texas Tunes series every third Saturday, while the retailer’s Lake Austin location will host one every first Wednesday. The events currently have lineups scheduled into May.
The grocer is running the series in partnership with Housing Opportunities for Musicians and Entertainers, a nonprofit “celebrating Austin’s music legacy and vital cause,” H-E-B wrote on its website.
