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Kroger, Giant Eagle and DoorDash show how agentic AI is becoming part of the actual shopping flow in retail. At Groceryshop 2026, the companies described a shared approach: AI should remove concrete friction from shopping, rather than burdening users with yet another chat window.
Kroger turns inspiration directly into a cart
Kroger has rolled out its AI Shopping Assistant 2026 across websites and apps. The assistant can plan meals, factor in budgets and preferences, recognize recipes or handwritten lists from images, and build a cart from them.
Kroger describes the next stage as "grocery as a managed service": customers set goals and preferences, while AI agents take over more of the planning, product selection and purchasing.
This resembles the approach Instacart is taking with its AI assistant Clementine.
Giant Eagle sees omnichannel as an economic lever
Giant Eagle said at the Groceryshop conference that customers who shop both in-store and digitally have on average a 30 percent higher customer lifetime value than single-channel customers.
For that reason, the company is investing in AI features that simplify the transition between inspiration, app, cart and in-store shopping.
DoorDash: chat is not automatically the best interface
DoorDash co-founder Andy Fang said that classic chat windows are often ignored because many users don't know what to type.
According to DoorDash, simple, context-based features work better, such as "reorder my usual products" or substitute suggestions for unavailable items.
DoorDash also confirms that it is expanding its AI features to improve personalization and reduce friction when building carts. For advertisers, the measurement side is also relevant: DoorDash recently had its incrementality measurement independently certified.
What this means for retail media
When AI agents build a cart directly from a need, the customer journey shifts. Brands then compete not only for search results or shelf space, but also for appearing in the assistant's decision criteria.
Amazon is moving in the same direction with its Amazon Ads Agent and full-funnel campaigns: planning, selection and activation are increasingly coordinated by AI.