The grocery aisle is getting a brain upgrade. Wakefern Food Corp., the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the U.S., has partnered with Birdzi to deploy its customer intelligence platform—an AI-driven system designed to supercharge shopper personalization, marketing outreach, and planning.

Why It Matters

AI in grocery isn’t just about futuristic checkout kiosks. It’s about knowing what customers want before they hit the store—or the app. Birdzi’s platform blends advanced analytics with automated engagement, giving Wakefern banners like ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, and The Fresh Grocer the ability to run campaigns that are not only timely but highly individualized.

Darren Caudill, Wakefern’s Chief Sales Officer, put it bluntly: “As grocery retail enters an AI-driven era, working with Birdzi enables our supermarket banners to better respond to shopper needs.”

That echoes a broader trend. In 2023, 81% of grocery C-suite executives said AI would be a competitive necessity. This year? That number jumped to 93%.

From Pilot to Rollout

Pilot campaigns using Birdzi’s platform already delivered strong ROI for Wakefern, with added benefits such as:

• Sharper personalization – More relevant offers tailored to individual shoppers.

• Smarter planning – Data-backed forecasting to attract and retain customers.

• Deeper insights – Analytics that map shopper behavior with granular detail.

Now, Wakefern is scaling those efforts across its cooperative network, leveraging Birdzi’s Visper campaign engine—a system built to dynamically personalize promotions at scale.

AI as the New Loyalty Play

For Wakefern, personalization is more than a marketing tactic—it’s a survival strategy in an era where loyalty is increasingly fluid. Retail giants like Walmart and Amazon have been experimenting with their own AI assistants (Sparky, Rufus), but adoption remains limited. Birdzi offers something different: AI fine-tuned for large grocers that want real impact across hundreds of locations.

Shekar Raman, CEO of Birdzi, said the partnership validates years of development: “With over 80% of Birdzi customers operating 100+ store locations, the platform is mature and equipped to handle the needs of large-scale retailers.”

What’s Next

Birdzi will showcase its platform at Groceryshop 2025 in Las Vegas (Sept. 28–Oct. 1), where AI-powered grocery innovation is expected to dominate the floor. The Wakefern deal is likely to stand out as a case study of how legacy retail cooperatives can adopt cutting-edge AI without losing their community-focused DNA.

For shoppers, the result could be grocery lists that feel less like guesswork and more like personal concierge service. For competitors, it’s a reminder that AI personalization is moving from pilot projects to industry standard—fast.

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