Are AI agents getting left off the guest list when it comes to digital party planning? This week, TWIRM is looking at major U.S. grocery chain Albertsons’ foray into festivity prep and asking: Is this where retailers finally have an edge over ChatGPT?
TWIRM, as retail media mavens everywhere know, is the This Week in Retail Media podcast, hosted by Kate Dickson, Head of Marketing and Communications, Retail Media, STRATACACHE, and Jonathan Rosen, STRATACACHE’s Global EVP of Retail Media Strategy. Each week, Kate and Jonathan chat across the Atlantic about three retail media stories that excite them, intrigue them and even, sometimes, make them dip into the proverbial “punch bowl.”
The first story Kate and Jonathan raise a glass to this week, courtesy of Retail TouchPoints, is Albertsons’ launch of Celebrations, a new digital party planning hub that brings together custom cakes, themed décor, catering, and drink ideas. Powered by the grocer’s AI shopping assistant, the platform offers personalized recommendations for everything from Super Bowl bashes, kids’ birthdays and Christmas parties across banners like Safeway, Jewel-Osco, and Vons.
Are retailers like Albertsons actually better suited for digital party planning than AI agents? Jonathan says yes, thanks to trust and compartmentalization. “It feels invasive” for ChatGPT to know too much about shoppers’ personal lives, he notes, but having your everyday grocery store help plan events “feels more intentional. It feels like it’s a service rather than an overlay marketing moment.” The retailer already knows you’re buying a birthday cake—why not help with the rest?
From Albertson’s AI-driven party hub, Jonathan and Kate head to DIY hardware Lowe’s to size up its expansion of its kids’ workshops into a digital rewards program. Finally, they flip the channel to Grocery Outlet’s shoppable livestream series and ask if live shopping is really here to stay (Spoiler: Not likely.)
Click here to listen to Kate and Jonathan dive deep into Albertson’s AI bid to get this (and every other) party started.
