As consumer discovery shifts toward digital channels, local grocers face pressure to deliver personalized online experiences without ceding their customer relationships to third-party marketplaces.
Breez AI founder and CEO Tal Zlotnitsky says a transition from the Breez AI platform to EveryAisle reflects a broader mission to empower independent retailers across every physical and digital touchpoint.
“It’s been three and a half years, and what we’re learning is that our focus needs to be on how [to] enable independents and regional retailers to compete for every shopper and every basket and every aisle,” Zlotnitsky says.
Evolving From Meal Planning to Full-Store Personalization
When the company launched, the primary goal centered on simplifying everyday routines for everyday consumers through smart digital tools. However, feedback from retail partners, investors and the broader grocery market made it clear that independent stores needed a comprehensive strategy to maintain market share.
“Our thinking was that the mission was about ease, and the name Breez AI made sense because the objective was to make something easier for the consumer,” Zlotnitsky says. “We started off thinking that our product was going to be a meal planner. We still, of course, have a meal planner — it’s an important part of what we do — but where we are increasingly being led … is toward personalization as a strategy, with the intent of giving our customers the opportunity to personalize, … and that’s how we landed on the name EveryAisle.”
Protecting Customer Data in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
To remain relevant as technology evolves, independent grocers must take an active role in adopting artificial intelligence tailored specifically to their operational needs, Zlotnitsky says. Relying on third-party delivery platforms or external fulfillment intermediaries risks positioning those third parties as the primary face of the customer relationship.
“Independent retailers don’t have the option to opt out of AI,” Zlotnitsky says. “They can either lean into a third-party fulfillment partner and risk handing over their customer relationships and first-party data, or they can build their own AI to remain the first line for the shopper.”
Driving Perimeter and Fresh Produce Sales
Fresh produce and perimeter departments represent a major area where local grocers can leverage personalized technology to showcase their unique store offerings. Independent operators often carry localized items and regional produce that reflect the specific preferences of their surrounding community.
“In fresh produce, independents excel at delivering items unique to their local market,” Zlotnitsky says. “With their own personalized AI, they don’t have to follow a one-size-fits-all approach used by national chains. They can create a bespoke experience that reflects their historical relationship with shoppers.”
Connecting Digital Inbox Recommendations to Store Shelves
Platform features like Meal Planner to Inbox bring this tailored approach directly to consumer communication channels by connecting recipe ideas with actual store shelves. Rather than offering generic suggestions that require hard-to-find ingredients, the platform evaluates what is currently available at the specific location where the shopper buys groceries.
“Every single store we work with uses its own localized information to make recommendations,” Zlotnitsky says. “If a customer wants to make a quiche, we check what is currently available in the specific store they shop at to recommend those exact ingredients.”
In addition to suggesting recipes, the technology supports routine grocery replenishment by reminding shoppers about items they regularly purchase, including fresh produce staples.
“One of the interesting things about Meal Planner to Inbox is we’re not just sending you meal recommendations. We’re also saying to you, ‘Here are items that you normally buy that you need to replenish, and that includes produce,’” Zlotnitsky says. “So if I’m a shopper that’s shopping in a certain store, I’m going to get meals that I’m able to fulfill. I’m able to get all the ingredients I need for this meal at my one store. It’s not going to recommend, for example, some exotic vegetable that is only available at Whole Foods. That’s not helpful to our customer. We are going to leverage the information that we get from them to recommend the items that they have.”
The system also incorporates local store circulars and seasonal promotions so that featured produce items reflect current pricing and inventory at each location.
“If a store has a great fall deal on a local pumpkin, we want to feature that for those shoppers,” Zlotnitsky says. “Personalization is about making sure every shopper gets an experience relevant to the exact store they normally shop at.”
Streamlining Shopping with Conversational Basket Building
Another key capability, Chat to Shop, allows consumers to interact conversationally with store offerings and add recommended products directly into their online cart.
“With Chat to Shop, if a customer asks for the four produce specials this week, we surface those exact items for their specific store,” Zlotnitsky says. “The shopper can then click to add them directly to their basket.”
Unlike general conversational tools that simply answer questions, Chat to Shop focuses on turning conversational guidance into active basket building for store inventory.
“It’s not just information only; it’s not ChatGPT,” Zlotnitsky says. “We’re enabling our customers to not just answer the question but to enable a clickable add of that item to the basket right then and there.”
The feature also lets shoppers request automated basket assembly based on their past purchase history to streamline routine shopping trips.
“A shopper can ask to fill their basket with the six to eight produce items they normally buy without having to click them one by one,” Zlotnitsky says. “Our objective is to add inspiration, convenience and value every single time.”
Aligning Vendor Partnerships with Retailer Interests
As national chains and third-party delivery marketplaces lean into conversational and agentic technology, independent operators must move quickly to protect their market share.
“I think one unmistakable takeaway is that the marketplaces and the large national retailers view agentic AI as a way to create for their customers an experience that is highly similar to the experience independents have given their customers for decades, which is personalized,” Zlotnitsky says. “‘I know you. I know who you are. I know what you like.’ That represents a risk for independents if they don’t respond to it forcefully.”
To preserve their business models, independent grocers must maintain ownership of their customer data and evaluate whether vendor partnerships truly serve their long-term interests.
“Independents need to aggressively protect their turf and their first-party relationships by embracing AI and making it their own,” Zlotnitsky says. “Be careful of who your partners are. A marketplace platform doesn’t care whether a customer buys from your store or a competitor, but your interest is having them buy from you. If that alignment isn’t there, the gap is only going to broaden.”
