The Friday Checkout: Grocers are ramping up AI, but consumers still need to be convinced

Retailers are rolling out virtual shopping agents and personalized product recommendations. But only 15% of U.S. consumers are using AI when buying groceries, Dunnhumby found.

By Grocery Dive Staff • Feb. 20, 2026

Walmart records higher online grocery sales amid automation push

The retailer is taking a “build one, scale globally” approach as it taps technology to cut business costs.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Feb. 19, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Back-end and operational technology

From price forecasting tools to inventory management technology, grocers are leveraging data and digital innovation to become more efficient.

By Grocery Dive staff

Wakefern overhauls legacy loyalty system

The East Coast grocery co-op is working with Eagle Eye to provide flexibility in how its banners provide points and rewards to loyalty members.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Feb. 17, 2026

Rethinking cold storage for the age of rapid grocery fulfilment

Outdated cold warehouses are blocking profitable e-commerce growth.

By Kyle Payne, Head of Retail Sales, Lowe Rental • Feb. 17, 2026

Albertsons to test conversational advertising with OpenAI

The grocer’s participation in a pilot run by the ChatGPT developer continues the grocer’s work to integrate agentic and generative AI tools into its operations.

By Sam Silverstein • Feb. 13, 2026

Uber debuts AI-powered personal shopper feature

Available on Uber Eats with grocers like Albertsons and Kroger, the feature can build full grocery baskets using simple text or image prompts.

By Peyton Bigora • Feb. 11, 2026

Why independent grocers need a tech roadmap

As the nation’s largest merchants amp up their investments in cutting-edge areas like AI, smaller food retailers also need to step up their game, speakers said during The NGA Show.

By Sam Silverstein • Feb. 9, 2026

The Friday Checkout: Albertsons turns to cart trackers to prove in-store retail media

The grocery company is expanding a pilot that uses tracking devices on carts and in baskets to see how long customers dwell in front of in-store ads.

By Grocery Dive Staff • Feb. 6, 2026

How 2 independent grocers are using facial recognition to combat theft

“When [people] steal, they’re stealing personally from my husband and I and my team and my family,” the operator of a Grocery Outlet store said during a session at The NGA Show.

By Sam Silverstein • Feb. 6, 2026

3 top takeaways from The NGA Show

From defining themselves through technology to helping CPGs reach shoppers, independent retailers see a bright future.

By Sam Silverstein • Feb. 5, 2026

Albertsons outlines top 4 AI priorities

The grocer’s technology chief said the company is doubling down on key areas such as the digital customer experience and merchandising.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Feb. 5, 2026

Ahold Delhaize gives suppliers a closer look at nutrition trends

The grocer’s Guiding Stars program links with Circana’s Attribute Marketplace to offer insights on how to develop and promote products for health-conscious consumers.

By Peyton Bigora • Feb. 5, 2026

Wakefern chief urges independent retailers to ‘not be afraid’ of AI

“This isn’t something that the big guys have that we don’t,” Mike Stigers, the grocery co-op’s president, said during a keynote session at The NGA Show. “This is something we all have.”

By Sam Silverstein • Feb. 3, 2026

Independent grocers need to embrace tech to stay competitive, experts say

No matter how successful a retailer’s differentiated offering is, they need a roadmap that lays out how to use technology, a SpartanNash executive said during The NGA Show.

By Sam Silverstein • Feb. 2, 2026

Albertsons Media Collective gets a new office, updated look

The grocery company’s retail media arm opened its inaugural New York City office and unveiled a logo meant to reflect the evolving business. 

By Peyton Bigora • Feb. 2, 2026

Amazon to halt palm payments

The online retailer said all Amazon One palm readers will be removed from physical stores by June 3.

By Patrick Cooley • Jan. 28, 2026

Amazon targets pop-up retail with upgraded Just Walk Out tech

The latest changes to its RFID-enabled checkout lanes are aimed at making it easier to use in settings like festivals and temporary stores.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Jan. 26, 2026

Recapping NRF’s Big Show

While AI took center stage at this year’s conference, grocers also eyed more practical technology solutions to support store-level associates.

By Peyton Bigora • Jan. 20, 2026

Is convenience costing grocers control? Rethinking fulfillment in the on-demand era

How grocers can deliver on-demand speed while securing margins and owning the shopper relationship.

Jan. 20, 2026

4 grocery takeaways from NRF’s 2026 Big Show

While AI was the most talked about subject at the conference, industry experts also discussed store-level tech innovation and the ever-increasing importance of communicating value.

By Peyton Bigora • Jan. 16, 2026

Kroger kicks off online shopping with Uber nationwide

With this move, the supermarket chain now offers digital shopping nationwide across the three major delivery platforms.

By Jeff Wells • Jan. 15, 2026

Walmart: This year, AI tinkering ‘becomes transformation’

A year from now, customers will look back and realize just how much has changed about the shopping experience, Walmart’s Daniel Danker predicts.

By Cara Salpini • Jan. 15, 2026

Kroger taps Google Gemini, announces more key AI moves

The expanded partnership with Google Cloud includes the launch of an AI-powered personal shopping assistant for customers and builds on the grocer’s growing fleet of AI capabilities.

By Peyton Bigora • Jan. 13, 2026

Walmart, Wing to scale drone delivery operations to 270 stores

The two companies aim to provide service to customers near 150 locations in the next year before growing further, covering Los Angeles, Cincinnati and other cities.

By Max Garland • Jan. 13, 2026

How Sprouts gamifies employee training

Swapping out longer learning modules for “bite-sized” games has improved associate performance, the grocer shared at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show.

By Peyton Bigora • Jan. 12, 2026