by Alexander Wissel, Executive Editor
AI may come to define 2025, so exploring this groundbreaking technology is timely as we close out the year. The Acosta Group, a global marketing, sales and foodservice collective released their consumer predictions for 2026 – chief amongst them was the focus on AI. Since this is ‘the’ story for 2025 and most likely 2026, we thought we’d dig in a little.
AI Agents, which are an autonomous, goal-oriented software and the current ‘next best thing’ when it comes to LLM and AI. If you’re still fuzzy on the difference between them you can read more about the differences here: How Search, AI, and Two Titans are Rewriting the Rules of Retail.
AI Agents can complete complex multi-step tasks and independently learn, adapt and remember how to solve the problem for future reference.
Acosta notes “70% of shoppers have used AI tools and features to assist with their shopping journey – and in 2026, consumers will begin to depend on intelligent agents to plan, compare, and then complete purchases.”
But there’s a problem. “According to Acosta Group research, only 12% of shoppers currently trust AI to make purchases on their behalf, listing concerns about privacy and data use, unapproved purchases, fraud or scams, and lack of control.”
That’s a big problem. Trust. Or, rather, the lack of it.
For LLM- and AI-driven tools to achieve broad adoption, consumers must be given clear pathways to develop confidence in the technology. Closing this trust gap will take time, but it will happen. When it does close, the resulting behavior shift will be substantial.
If your brick-n-mortar strategy involves ‘end-cap’ type impulse purchases you need to understand how to replace that in a digital shopping environment. As we’ve seen with the Upside/ Giant Partnership, stores are planning for this transition.
But recent reporting uncovering Instacart’s pricing strategies – delivering different customers different basket costs – has laid bare the core concern behind agentic AI and its algorithms. Consumers want to have confidence in their application and transparency on how their data is used to deliver personalized experiences.
Who else remembers the early internet pop-up ads and how their usage became synonymous with fraud and annoyance? Like any new technology there will be learning curves, mistakes and mis-fires. This too shall pass. You might recall that before Paypal, sending money or buying products online was an exercise with risk.
As industry norms and new guardrails for AI usage take shape, consumers will begin to anchor their trust in specific companies and the agents they deploy. We think that’s a really important concept for retailers to get behind. Acosta emphasizes that future growth will hinge on becoming a trusted, AI-recommended brand.
John Carroll, president of Connected Commerce, Acosta Group had this to say,
“AI is driving a fundamental shift in an industry that has historically been slow to adopt technology. Shopping agents like Amazon’s Rufus and Walmart’s Sparky are changing the shopping mission itself—how shoppers discover, decide, and buy.
At Acosta Group, we’re working with clients to pair game-changing AI with great customer experiences, strong industry relationships, and a foundation of trust and transparency. That combination is the real competitive advantage.”
Let’s face it, there is cause for real optimism in our growth prospects for the traditionally staid grocery industry. We are at the very start of an incredibly challenging period; but one that will be filled with new ways of selling, communicating, doing business, and growing revenues.
To read all four of Acosta’s 2026 predictions go to: Acosta Group Highlights for 2026.
