Nine in ten grocery retailers are already experimenting with AI in some form, and nearly all of them expect to use it even more in the coming year. This report maps where AI adoption stands today: the use cases gaining traction, the outcomes operators are chasing and the conditions under which they're willing to let AI run on its own.
Toast conducted a blind survey from April 3–20, 2026, among U.S.-based SMB grocery store decision makers (16 or fewer locations). Respondents were not aware that Toast was fielding the study.
Key Takeaways:
- 93% of grocers surveyed feel comfortable using AI
- 9-in-10 grocery businesses are actively experimenting with AI
- 45% of grocers surveyed cited improving decision-making as a top expected outcome of AI
- 54% of grocers surveyed prefer one platform that handles most AI needs
Let’s unpack these findings.
How grocery retailers are using AI today, and who they trust to guide them
Comfort with AI among grocery operators isn't new; it's just deepening. Forty-five percent of respondents strongly trust AI with their business needs, and 47% somewhat trust it. For future use, 93% strongly or somewhat agree they'll use it more going forward.
In 2026, the question for most grocers is how to use AI. That "how" is largely being answered by existing vendor relationships. Thirty-eight percent of grocers trust a retail tech vendor they already work with the most to guide their AI strategy. Adoption seems to spread through trust, not through independent research.
That's where tools like Toast IQ come in. The key is in finding AI that’s already built directly into the platform grocers already use to run their business, with no new vendor relationship or learning curve required.
What grocery retailers expect AI to deliver
Grocers' AI expectations are decidedly operational. Forty-five percent cite better decision-making as their top expected outcome. Increasing sales or revenue (39%) and improving inventory management and cost control (36%) round out the top three.
Grocers are targeting the same pain points that have always defined the business. Toast IQ surfaces the insights that make those calls faster and smarter. And with Toast Go®; 3 handhelds, staff can now scan product barcodes directly to instantly add items to a purchase. No manual lookups, no extra equipment needed. Fast checkout, wherever you need it.
AI use cases gaining the most traction in grocery retail
Inventory and ordering leads adoption, with 76% of grocers currently using or planning to implement AI for that function.
Close behind are customer and store analytics (74%), real-time operational insights (73%) and forecasting and demand planning (70%). These four use cases share a common thread, as they turn the volume of data grocery generates into something actionable.
Toast IQ is the conversational AI assistant built into your platform, a partner that understands the flow of inventory and pricing as naturally as a store manager. Need something done? Just ask.
Grocery retailers' AI preferences
Grocers want simplicity. Fifty-four percent prefer a single platform that handles most of their AI needs; another 37% want a small set of tightly integrated tools. That's 9-in-10 operators choosing consolidation over fragmentation.
And that preference could imply exhaustion with vendor sprawl. Grocery operators are already managing relationships with suppliers, distributors and a stack of software tools. The last thing they want is to add another vendor to the mix. Instead, they value a technology partner they already trust to go deeper; a partner that has their data and can bring AI to bear without requiring them to start from scratch.
Grocers who already run their business on Toast aren't adopting AI; they're unlocking it. Toast IQ, AI Invoice Scanning and the broader suite of retail tools aren't bolt-ons from a new vendor. They're part of the same platform already handling your POS, inventory, reporting and payments. The data's already there. The only thing that changes is what Toast can now do with it.
What this means for grocers adopting AI in 2026
Three takeaways from the grocery AI data:
- Vendor trust is the adoption accelerator. Grocers are asking whether the platforms they already rely on are ready to take them further. Start with the tools you already use.
- Integration beats fragmentation. The preference for all-in-one solutions is real. Isolated tools that don't talk to your broader workflows won't justify their cost.
- Human oversight is the current expectation, not a barrier. Grocers want AI that makes them better operators, not AI that replaces their judgment.
Toast Retail for grocers
Toast Retail is built for grocery operators who want to run a smarter store without adding complexity. From AI Invoice Scanning to Toast IQ's real-time insights, Toast brings AI into the workflows you already depend on. Explore Toast for grocery stores.
Footnote:
Toast conducted a blind survey from 4/3/2026-4/20/2026 of N(eff)=127 U.S. based SMB (16 or fewer locations) grocery store decision makers. Respondents were not made aware that Toast was fielding the study. Panel providers granted incentives to respondents for participation. Weighting was applied based on POS tech use to achieve expected distribution, which may increase variability. Using a standard margin of error calculation, at a confidence interval of 95%, the margin of error is approximately +/- 9% for the grocery operator subgroup.
