Hello GrocerTalk Fans!
We are running it back to Groceryshop 2026, where I sat down with Seb Hill, Chief Marketing Officer at TCC Global, in Las Vegas for another edition of 5 Insightful Minutes.
Seb came armed with some brand new research from TCC Global, and we got into a question that I think every grocery retailer should be asking right now: What happens to customer loyalty when AI agents start doing the shopping?
Retailers have spent years building loyalty programs, investing in apps, and finding new ways to personalize the shopping experience. But what happens when the shopper is no longer the one making all the decisions?
Here are my biggest takeaways from our conversation.
The Next Big Disruption Might Not Be What You Think
Grocery retailers have had no shortage of disruption in recent years. Between inflation, changing consumer expectations, e-commerce, and new technologies, the industry has been in a near-constant state of adaptation. But as Seb and I discussed, AI agents could introduce an entirely new challenge by fundamentally changing who, or what, retailers are trying to influence when it comes to purchasing decisions.
What Happens When AI Makes the Decisions?
Think about how grocery shopping works today. Consumers have favorite stores, preferred brands, and habits that influence what ends up in their baskets. Now imagine an AI agent making those decisions based on price, convenience, availability, and personal preferences. Suddenly, a retailer’s biggest competitor might not just be the grocery store down the street. It could be an algorithm that has no particular attachment to either one.
Loyalty Programs Are Facing a New Challenge
Retailers have invested enormous amounts of time and money into loyalty programs, personalized promotions, and digital experiences designed to keep customers coming back. But if AI agents can compare offers across multiple retailers and optimize purchases on behalf of consumers, what happens to those investments? It raises a pretty fundamental question: Are retailers building loyalty with the shopper, or simply rewarding shopping behavior?
Are We Measuring Loyalty the Right Way?
We have plenty of ways to measure loyalty program participation, from purchase frequency and engagement to redemption rates. But do those numbers really tell us how strong the relationship is between a shopper and a retailer? A customer might shop somewhere every week simply because it is convenient or because they have always done it that way. If an AI agent finds a better alternative tomorrow, how much of that behavior would actually stick? That is a question retailers need to start thinking about.
Price and Convenience Might Not Be Enough
If AI agents become increasingly effective at optimizing for price and convenience, retailers may need to rethink what makes shoppers choose them in the first place. After all, if every agent can find the cheapest product or most convenient option, those advantages become much harder to defend on their own. As Seb and I explored, the future of grocery loyalty may depend less on individual transactions and promotions and more on the strength of the relationship retailers build with their customers.
Grocery Loyalty Needs to Evolve
The biggest takeaway for me was that agentic AI is not just another technology conversation. It is a customer relationship conversation. Retailers have spent years trying to understand shoppers, personalize experiences, and encourage repeat purchases, but AI could change how those decisions are made. And that is what makes TCC Global’s latest research so timely. The question is no longer just how retailers can use AI themselves, but how they prepare for a world in which their customers are using AI to shop.
As I wrapped up my conversation with Seb, I kept coming back to one thought: grocery loyalty has always been about giving shoppers a reason to come back.
But in a world where AI agents are increasingly making the decisions, retailers may have to work even harder to make sure that reason still matters.
You can listen to or watch the full conversation with Seb Hill, Chief Marketing Officer at TCC Global, wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud | Spotify | Amazon Music
Explore TCC Global’s latest research on agentic AI: https://www.tccglobal.com/insights/agent
Thanks for tuning in,
Ben and the entire Omni Talk team
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Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.