Generative AI is becoming “retail’s new front door,” according to Euromonitor’s Michelle Evans, and products that solve problems for consumers could be the most well-positioned to capture market share.
Yogurt purveyor Chobani is winning in the AI online discovery race because of the product’s ability to fill a variety of needs for consumers, according to Evans, global lead of retail insights at Euromonitor.
Her new report, AI-Powered Shopping: New Insights on What’s Truly Driving Adoption, explains that consumers turn to AI for diverse needs while shopping, ranging from automatic ordering to complex problem-solving tasks, and Chobani is gaining new customers across a range of AI referral types, Evans said during a presentation at Groceryshop 2026.
AI shines with hard decisions
Understanding Chobani’s success in AI-powered product discovery requires taking a closer look at fast-moving consumer goods: everyday products that sell quickly, such as pantry staples and snacks.
For example, only 2% of soft drinks are purchased due to an AI referral, according to Evans. She explained that 3% of grocery staples and 4% of snacks are purchased from AI referrals.
Meanwhile, personal care and consumer health products stand at 47% and 28%, respectively, because they are “high-consideration categories” that consumers approach with questions, Evans said.
Questions like: “What’s the best skincare product for eczema?” are where generative AI excels, she said, because answering those questions provides a long tail for product discovery.
Grocery categories might not be as influenced by AI as makeup and health care products, Evans said, but the dynamic could be shifting.
“The desire for more protein, better gut health and GLP-1 users in general,” is unlocking more options for consumers and providing AI an opportunity to assist, according to Evans.
Defining a framework for discovery
Euromonitor defines four categories for retail discovery using AI, and Chobani is positioned to capitalize on all of them. They include Autopilot, Tailor, Explain and Advise, Evans said.
- Autopilot orders skip the decision, such as directing an AI agent to, “Reorder my usual yogurt,” Evans explained.
- Tailor orders narrow the field on searches like, “Find a high-protein yogurt with less sugar.”
- Explain orders via AI further shape the shortlist with more complex information requests such as, “Compare these two ingredient lists.”
- Advise orders direct AI to make the decision. In the case of Chobani, a search under this category might include, “Build a breakfast plan around my dietary needs.”
“Advise is really the sweet spot where AI has the most work to do,” Evans said. “This is a high amount of knowledge and a high amount of personalization.”
Chobani’s edge in AI discovery
The framework laid out by Euromonitor seeks to explain the yogurt brand’s visibility in packaged food in 2025 and 2026.
Chobani ranks No. 12 in e-commerce sales for the category, but its AI referral rank is much higher at No. 6.
AI can explain the science behind the yogurt as a food product, and it also suggests recipes, giving it further reach with consumers, Evans said.
Categories where AI currently over indexes in CPG include searches for “high-protein” at 1.54x, “no soy” at 1.42x, “organic” at 1.38x, both “dairy-free” and “vegan” at 1.34x and “USDA Organic” at 1.29x, according to Euromonitor.
Four ways to position CPG for AI discovery
CPG brands can better-position their products for AI discovery in four ways, according to Evans.
Identify where AI has a job to do, according to Evans. “What problem can AI answer for your customers?” she asked. “If you don’t know what problem your product solves for, then you have a product problem, not an AI problem.”
Structure product information to make sure it is machine legible, she added.
Thirdly, connect the product to outcomes, Evans advised. “If you’re with a brand, this is about owning a problem, owning an occasion,” according to Evans. “If you’re a retailer, it’s more about owning a recipe, owning the baskets that consumers are asking about.”
Finally, she suggested that food and beverage manufacturers measure AI visibility separately from the way they measure regular online discovery.
“Don’t let it get caught up in how you look at your search traffic, or you’ll lose seeing where it’s making the impact,” she said.
