Kroger, Giant Eagle and DoorDash Bet on Agentic AI Shopping Assistants

By James Calloway

Agentic AI dominated the stage at this year's Groceryshop, with executives from Kroger, Giant Eagle and DoorDash laying out how they are building shopping assistants that connect stores to online orders.

Yael Cosset, chief digital officer at Kroger, said the retailer's priority is removing friction between the moment a customer is inspired to buy an ingredient for a meal and the moment they actually order it. "The shopping assistant is helping close the gap that exists between inspiration and basket shopping," Cosset said.

That quote captures the core problem the speakers identified. Shoppers get ideas in one context and complete purchases in another, and simple search tools have not bridged the two.

What did executives say about chatbots?

The companies presenting at Groceryshop shared a common diagnosis. Simple search tools and intrusive chatbots do not work. Retailers must instead deploy practical AI tools that bridge the gap between physical stores and online ordering.

Why is training shoppers the new priority?

Much of the industry's focus now sits on the shopper, not the software. According to the executives, the task is training shoppers to naturally integrate agentic shopping into their busy routines.

That shift matters for marketers. If agentic assistants mediate the path from inspiration to basket, brands will need to understand how those assistants surface products and close the inspiration-to-order gap.

For Kroger, Giant Eagle and DoorDash, the work has moved past the chatbot era. The next test is whether shoppers will fold agentic tools into everyday habits — and whether retailers can measure that shift from inspiration to a completed basket.