Harps will use AI to generate personalized meal plans for customers

Springdale-based Harps Food Stores will usher in “SmartMeals,” an AI-powered shopping assistant, for customers using its more than 150 stores. The announcement was made Monday (March 23) at an Associated Wholesale Grocers’ (AWG) Innovation event.

SmartMeals at Harps will integrate directly with the company’s existing digital infrastructure and its loyalty platform known as Birdzi. That integration connects personalized meal planning, digital savings, and future online ordering with each store’s real-time inventory and customer loyalty data, giving Harps shoppers a seamless path from meal inspiration to purchase, the release states.

“Harps has always focused on delivering the best possible experience for our customers and our communities,” said David Ganoung, chief marketing officer of Harps Food Stores. “SmartMeals allows us to combine that commitment with cutting-edge technology, giving our customers personalized meal inspiration while making it easier to shop our stores.”

SmartMeals will generate personalized meal plans that are based on household size, dietary preferences and budget, along with cooking instructions within seconds. The application also builds a shopping list using products that are in stock at their local Harps store and applies any available digital savings. The application will highlight store brands along with private label items, creating a personalized, re-shoppable library of preferred meals for each customer.

AWG’s rollout of the AI-powered shopping assistant comes as Walmart, Kroger, and other grocery competitors also have introduced comparable shopping companions for digital shoppers. SmartMeals is also a fully integrated retail media module built by Breez AI, which allows brands to get targeted ad placement, and it’s an additional revenue stream for independent grocers that has previously only been available to large grocery chains.

“Independent grocers are the backbone of communities across the country, and our mission at AWG is to ensure they have access to the innovative tools that larger retailers do,” said Shelly Moore, AWG’s chief information officer. “SmartMeals helps level the playing field by giving retailers like Harps a powerful way to personalize the shopping experience, driving customer loyalty and basket size. It also opens a new chapter in how CPG brands can partner with independent grocers — placing their products inside a high-intent, personalized shopping experience rather than just relying on traditional promotions.”

The rollout will be structured as a phased deployment, beginning in the early summer with an initial group of 20-25 stores, before expanding across the broader Harps network in subsequent months. Ganoung, chief marketing officer, and Sarah Thacker, director of advertising & communications, will oversee the technology rollout.

“Shoppers are already using AI to decide what to cook,” said Tal Zlotnitsky, founder and CEO of Breez AI. “Harps is making sure that decision happens inside their brand, connected to their inventory and their loyalty program. Every week that plays out, Harps is capturing a greater share of the basket, building loyalty, and generating retail media revenue that used to be out of reach for independent grocers. The retailers who move now will look back on this as the moment the game changed.”