Consumers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to guide routine grocery trips, with new research from Rithum indicating that 36% of shoppers have used AI tools or large language models to help buy groceries in the past six months. The findings suggest that AI is no longer confined to search or experimentation, but is becoming part of everyday decision-making for price-sensitive and time-pressed households.

Among those who have turned to AI for grocery shopping, two-thirds use it to compare prices or weigh up alternatives before buying. Nearly half use it to look up product information, while 28% have already completed a grocery purchase through AI tools. Rithum says this reflects a broader change in how consumers discover products, with shoppers increasingly relying on AI-generated recommendations rather than retailer websites, supermarket apps or traditional search engines.

The shift creates a new challenge for grocers and brands, which now have to think about visibility in AI-driven discovery as well as on shelf and online. According to Rithum, retailers need accurate pricing, promotions and product data if they want to surface in AI recommendations when consumers ask for the best value, the most suitable item or the fastest delivery option.

Rithum has also warned that mistakes in AI-generated product information can erode confidence quickly. In a separate survey, the company found that 58% of shoppers lose trust in a brand when an AI tool gives the wrong information, while 16% would avoid buying that product altogether after a bad recommendation. The message for retailers is clear: as AI becomes more embedded in shopping behaviour, product data quality may matter as much as price and convenience.

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