Groceryshop 2025 made one thing clear: grocery is no longer just about shelves and SKUs — it’s about systems that think. From Walmart’s agentic tools to Colgate’s AI-driven product innovation, the show floor buzzed with a new kind of energy: one focused on efficiency, personalization, intelligent automation, and of course…AI
The agentic era has arrived
Walmart shared how it’s scaling AI through a middleware layer that powers two agents: “Sparky” for customers and “Widely” for developers — streamlining both experience and operations. Their north star? Reducing friction and making AI practical at scale.
Colgate echoed the theme, using AI to synthesize consumer and trend data to guide new product innovation, turning insights into faster, smarter launches.
The lesson: grocers and CPGs are done with pilot fatigue — they want measurable growth and efficiency. As Colgate put it, “Search and discovery are certainly changing in today’s world.”
At Algolia, we couldn’t agree more. Our Agent Studio makes it easy for grocers of any size to offer conversational, agent-powered shopping — like Walmart’s — without needing Walmart’s engineering muscle. Shoppers can upload a grocery list, describe a recipe, or ask for “everything I need for taco night,” and instantly get a personalized, shoppable cart.
Data is the foundation — and the differentiator
Both Walmart and Colgate underscored that “data is absolutely critical now.” Grocers are increasingly thinking about how to meet shoppers who begin their journeys outside of their site — whether on social, search, or even in chatbots like ChatGPT.
Using Algolia, merchandisers can dynamically create category pages that enhance discoverability on SEO or GEO, freeing up their time to focus on the creativity of merchandising.
Data being critical for use also means the data has to be clean to make the most out of it. With Algolia, grocers can utilize the Intelligent Data Kit to clean, normalize, and enrich product data — making it more searchable and structured without heavy manual work. Products become easier to find, better grouped, and are ready for advanced personalization or merchandising.
Market Shifts: Private Label, Channel Switching, and Digital Growth
The Market Dynamics sessions spotlighted major shifts: the growth of private label, the rise of non-traditional grocers, and surging online grocery adoption.
Private label isn’t just a margin play — it’s a loyalty driver. Algolia’s feature your brands offer helps grocers promote owned and sponsored products through smart merchandising, AI ranking, and retail media integrations — maximizing visibility and profitability.
In fact, Felipe Alonso Valverde, Head of eCommerce at Auto Mercado has commented “Not only does Algolia pay for itself by enabling us to offer visibility to our CPGs, it also makes it easier for us to promote our higher-margin private label brands, and include personalized impulse products on checkout”.
Retail Media’s reckoning
The conference wrapped with a discussion on the “three ages of retail media” — from the Age of Amazon, through the Gold Rush, to today’s Age of Reckoning. The message: retail media must evolve beyond ad placements to full-funnel, unified experiences that connect inspiration to conversion.
With Algolia, by blending sponsored placements with AI personalization and merchandising, grocers can surface the right products, at the right time, for the right shopper — turning retail media from revenue stream to loyalty engine.
The bottom ilne
Groceryshop 2025 confirmed what many in the industry already feel: the next era of grocery growth belongs to those who can connect convenience with intelligence.
At Algolia, we’re helping grocers do just that — transforming every search, shelf, and suggestion into a smarter, more profitable moment.
Because the future of grocery isn’t just digital — it’s agentic, data-driven, and delightfully human.
Want to see how Algolia can support your online grocery business? Contact us for a custom demo or signup to try Algolia free.
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