Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. says its artificial intelligence-driven meal-planning and shopping tool, SmartMeals, has transitioned from its trial phase to a full-market rollout. Developed in partnership with Breez AI Corp., the technology is now available to AWG’s network of member retailers to enhance the digital shopping experience.
AI-driven shopping assistants, once only the domain of national chains, are now accessible to independent retailers, enabling them to level the playing field and offer a personalized, meal-planning and digital shopping experience that today’s consumers increasingly expect.
“SmartMeals helps shoppers move easily from inspiration to purchase,” says Tal Zlotnitsky, founder and CEO of Breez AI. “If a customer selects a recipe that calls for fresh fruit or vegetables — like a stir-fry or salad — SmartMeals automatically adds those ingredients to the shopping list using items available in that specific store.”
“And because it is connected with that store’s inventory, the shopper never has to worry about their selected produce being out of stock,” Zlotnitsky adds.
AWG says 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.
“SmartMeals protects retailers’ relationships with their customers in this crucial moment where consumers are learning new habits thanks to AI,” says James Neumann, senior vice president, sales and support for AWG. “We’re already seeing very strong results, including a 22% lift in average basket size and a 72% increase in loyalty sign-ups at participating stores — and we’re only at the beginning.”
“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,” says Shelly Moore, chief information officer for AWG. “We now have nearly 100 stores onboarded, with a strong pipeline including some of our largest members.”
Its capabilities include:
- 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.
“We are proud to have built SmartMeals in partnership with AWG,” Zlotnitsky says. “SmartMeals is a generative AI shopping companion that transforms how people plan, shop and cook. Built for the modern consumer and integrated directly into grocers’ online platforms, SmartMeals helps shoppers go from ’What’s for dinner?’ to checkout in under two minutes, while protecting customer privacy.”
AWG says the launch underscores its commitment to bringing cutting-edge yet practical technological solutions to its member retailers. SmartMeals empowers independents to offer a modern, intuitive and competitive digital experience without the heavy infrastructure investment typically required to develop in-house AI capabilities, according to the group.
“At AWG, we continue to see SmartMeals gain significant traction with consumers,” says Stacy Bowen, vice president of sales and solutions for AWG. “SmartMeals provides the kind of engagement and ‘stickiness’ that strengthens the bond between consumers and our member store locations.”
SmartMeals is now available to AWG member stores, with onboarding support, marketing materials and training resources available to assist retailers in deployment.
“This is an exciting year for AWG as we celebrate our 100th anniversary,” says Dan Funk, president and CEO of AWG. “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.”
