EROSKI launches Whatsapp shopping with Artificial Intelligence and ultra-fast delivery

EROSKI has launched Eroski Smart Shop, an innovative solution that enables customers to shop via WhatsApp using artificial intelligence and receive their order at home in approximately one hour. The cooperative has launched a pilot experience in Bilbao to test this agile, personalised, conversational shopping model. With this launch, EROSKI is advancing its innovation strategy applied to the shopping experience, integrating technology into everyday channels people already use to provide simpler, faster and more personalised solutions.

This is the first initiative of its kind in Spain and is currently being tested in 9 company-owned stores in Bilbao. The pilot project will run for one year with the aim of measuring customer adoption and optimising the experience prior to potential expansion.

The system allows customers to shop through a natural conversation, either by text or voice, as if speaking to a person. It also allows the use of images, such as a photo of a shopping list. The system interprets the user’s needs and automatically generates a full selection of products ready for validation and payment. It can also suggest menus and recipes tailored to each user’s preferences, nutritional needs and budget. The transaction is completed via a quick-commerce platform, with delivery to the customer’s home in approximately one hour.

“We want grocery shopping to be as simple as sending a message or starting a conversation. We are doing this using an application that is already part of people’s everyday lives”, explains Aitor Zuburruti, Retail Innovation, Digital Transformation & AI, New Business Models and Customer Experience Coordinator at EROSKI. “In line with its commitment to savings, EROSKI offers the most economical option by default when the request is generic. However, if the customer specifies a particular brand, the system selects that product, even if it is not the cheapest, and the choice can be adjusted during the conversation,” he adds.

New trends in consumer and retail habits

Eroski Smart Shop has been developed in response to a structural shift in consumer behaviour and the food retail sector, where convenience and immediacy have become baseline expectations.

Analysis by CNBC International shows that 81% of grocery sales are already influenced by digital channels (search, planning, repurchase), even if the purchase is completed through different channels. According to NielsenIQ, the main reason for choosing digital grocery channels is timesaving, well ahead of price or product range. In addition, quick commerce is experiencing double-digit annual growth in southern and western European markets, with high repeat usage in grocery.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp has over 3 billion monthly active users globally and is the dominant messaging platform in more than 100 countries. More than 50% of people aged over 60 in Europe use WhatsApp regularly, making it a key channel for digital inclusion.

This launch positions EROSKI at the forefront of key sector trends, including personalisation, the use of AI, and the integration of services into everyday platforms.