Sixty-One per Cent of Shoppers Use AI for Grocery Decisions, EY Finds
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Sixty-one per cent of respondents have used artificial intelligence to help make grocery decisions, according to a report released by EY in September 2026.
The study, titled What Happens When Shoppers No Longer Do the Shopping?, found that almost half of surveyed consumers would likely use a tool that reliably sourced their usual basket across several supermarkets, though only 17 per cent were very likely to do so.
Richard Rome, associate director for consumer industry at EY, examined whether shoppers would allow an AI assistant to plan, compare and purchase groceries, noting that the shift represents a more human-centric model with less human touch rather than humanless shopping.
What Drives Automated Basket Decisions
Cost reduction remains the main hurdle before consumers surrender control of their shopping carts. EY found that 40 per cent of respondents demand clear financial savings on their total grocery bill before delegating purchases to an automated system.
Time savings offer a faster route to practical adoption. Fifty-eight per cent of shoppers said they would hand over an online order if software saved them up to 30 minutes a week, while 47 per cent would do so for trips to physical stores. Another 25 per cent pointed to practical assistance with dietary rules, label verification, health goals and ethical sourcing as sufficient incentive to use automated tools.
“EY found that 40 per cent of respondents demand clear financial savings on their total grocery bill before delegating purchases to an automated system.”
Families Lead Early Adoption Rates
Younger households with children show the highest appetite for delegating routine shopping chores. In the EY data, 70 per cent of families with children under 18 ranked as potential early adopters, followed closely by consumers aged between 18 and 34, full-time workers and higher-income earners.
The concentration among busy households points to an immediate opportunity for automated replenishment tools. Consumers with packed schedules want to eliminate the mental friction of tracking household staples, checking ingredient lists and comparing pack sizes across multiple store apps.
Why Supermarkets Face Platform Risk
Retail incumbents such as Woolworths and Coles face a structural shift if third-party software takes over product discovery. When an independent algorithm chooses brands based on unit price or nutritional parameters, traditional investments in eye-level shelf placement, endcap displays and on-site search advertising lose their pull.
Trust in automated shopping requires tools to remain entirely neutral between competing retail chains. Software created by a single supermarket chain restricts the selection pool, opening the door for price comparison portals, payment platforms, meal planners and standalone AI applications to capture the customer relationship instead.
How Suppliers Must Structure Product Data
Packaged goods manufacturers now need clean, machine-readable specifications to ensure autonomous agents select their items. If an algorithm filters out products lacking explicit dietary tags, standardized ingredient data or clear unit pricing, those products drop out of the basket before a human ever sees them.
The research builds on earlier consumer shifts across Asia-Pacific toward algorithmic grocery planning and quick-commerce meal kits. Richard Rome, associate director for consumer industry at EY, will present detailed data from the report during an Australian Food & Grocery Council webinar on October 28.
Questions & Answers
Q.What specifically encourages shoppers to hand over their grocery ordering to an automated system?
What specifically encourages shoppers to hand over their grocery ordering to an automated system?
Financial savings are a key motivator, with 40 per cent of respondents demanding clear reductions on their total bill. Time savings also appeal, as 58 per cent would use a system if it saved them up to 30 minutes a week online.
Q.Which groups of shoppers are most likely to be early adopters of AI for grocery decisions?
Which groups of shoppers are most likely to be early adopters of AI for grocery decisions?
Families with children under 18 show the highest potential, followed closely by consumers aged 18 to 34, full-time workers, and higher-income earners. These busy households are keen to eliminate mental friction from routine shopping.
Q.Why does the increasing use of AI in grocery shopping pose a risk to traditional supermarkets?
Why does the increasing use of AI in grocery shopping pose a risk to traditional supermarkets?
If third-party software takes over product discovery, traditional supermarket investments like eye-level shelf placement and in-store displays lose effectiveness. Algorithms selecting products based on neutral parameters could redirect customer relationships away from single chains.
Q.How does this shift towards AI impact packaged goods manufacturers?
How does this shift towards AI impact packaged goods manufacturers?
Manufacturers now need to ensure their product data is clean, machine-readable and includes explicit dietary tags, standardised ingredient data, and clear unit pricing. Products lacking this could be filtered out by algorithms before a human ever sees them.
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