AWG looks to boost basket size with AI shopping assistant
AWG looks to boost basket size with AI shopping assistant
Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. has moved its AI-powered meal planning and shopping assistant — SmartMeals — from pilot to wide-scale deployment.
“This is an exciting year for AWG as we celebrate our 100th Anniversary,” said Dan Funk, AWG’s president and CEO. “We’re proud to offer to our members a solution that addresses one of the biggest opportunities and risks they are facing — the impact of AI on their relationship with their customers. In partnership with the folks at Breez AI, we created SmartMeals to provide independent retailers with a safe, reliable and highly personalized AI experience that customers can trust and grocers can own. In January, 85 AWG member stores deployed SmartMeals, with more rollouts coming.”
Independent grocers are facing an urgent challenge as AI begins transforming consumer habits in the grocery industry. Shoppers are adopting AI at an unprecedented rate to inform their purchasing decisions, and independent grocers cannot stay on the sidelines.
In 2024, AWG partnered with Breez AI to create an easy-to-deploy turnkey solution to empower AWG member retailers with a practical, branded way to meet these expectations while strengthening loyalty and driving new revenue opportunities.
“SmartMeals protects retailers’ relationships with their customers in this crucial moment where consumers are learning new habits thanks to AI. We’re already seeing very strong results, including a 22 percent lift in average basket size and a 72 percent increase in loyalty signups at participating stores — and we’re only at the beginning,” said James Neumann, AWG’s senior vice president sales and support.
“SmartMeals enables our members to compete with national chains and provide consumers a smarter personal shopper assistant that matches or surpasses other AI tools in functionality and user experience,” said Shelly Moore, AWG’s chief information officer. “We now have nearly 100 stores onboarded, with a strong pipeline including some of our largest members.”
Its capabilities go beyond other grocery AI tools by offering:
- Personalized meal planning based on dietary needs, allergies and health considerations while protecting user privacy
- Budget-smart recommendations tailored to household preferences
- Step-by-step recipes with images for easy cooking guidance
- Custom-branded retailer experiences that build differentiation
- Retail media opportunities through personalized product recommendations
“At AWG, we continue to see SmartMeals gain significant traction with consumers,” said Stacy Bowen, AWG’s vice president of sales and solutions. “SmartMeals provides the kind of engagement and 'stickiness' that strengthens the bond between consumers and our member store locations.”