The trend: Consumers are more inclined to use AI tools for grocery shopping than other forms of commerce, according to dunnhumby’s latest Consumer Trends Tracker.

• 15% of US shoppers report using AI to help with grocery purchases, compared with 11% who use it for non-grocery purchases like fashion and technology.
• 28% consider it likely or very likely that they will use AI tools to assist with their shopping this year.

No single use case dominates: Shoppers are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT for help with shopping lists (13.3%), price comparison (12.1%), product research (8.2%), and product recommendations (8%). That indicates that consumers are using AI to lighten their administrative load, find savings, and simplify product discovery.

The barriers: Grocery is an ideal category for AI commerce—in theory. It’s easier for shoppers to outsource purchases to AI tools given that most of what consumers buy remains the same week after week. However, just because the capability is there doesn’t mean that shoppers are inclined to use it.

• 38% of shoppers don’t see the need to use AI to help with shopping, and are satisfied with their existing methods.
• 37% prefer to make their own decisions without AI influence.
• Lack of trust (19%) and data privacy concerns (18%) are also significant barriers to adoption.

Implications for grocers: AI use may not be mainstream yet, but its influence is growing. Grocers have to be prepared to meet the shift. That will require optimizing websites and product listings to increase visibility on AI platforms and enable agentic buying, as well as launching their own AI tools to satisfy shoppers’ demands for enhanced, more personalized assistance throughout the purchase process.