Artificial intelligence is entering the supermarket - and can save you hundreds of shekels | Dr. Hezi Gur Mizrahi

For years, retail chains have studied us: what we buy, which promotion we respond to, and which brand we are not willing to give up. Now a new player is entering the equation that can actually work for the consumer.

In the world, artificial intelligence is already being used to compare products, locate promotions, and build a shopping cart. In Israel, where the same cart can vary by hundreds of shekels between chains, the connection between AI tools and price comparison systems like Pricez can change the rules of the game. The only question is who will control the technology: the consumer who wants to save, or the retailer who wants to sell them more.

Not many years ago, we entered the supermarket with a folded note in our pocket. Then the note moved to the phone, shopping partially moved online, loyalty clubs started studying us, and apps began sending coupons and benefits.

But despite all the technology, the hard work remained with the consumer.

We still have to remember what is missing at home, check if the promotion is really worth it, compare packages, understand the price per unit of measure, check if the product we are used to buying has become more expensive, look for an alternative, and sometimes enter several sites to understand where our shopping cart is really cheaper.

Now artificial intelligence is starting to enter exactly this space.

In a Reuters report from August 2026, it was described how large retailers in the world are already preparing for the fact that more consumers are starting their shopping journey not on the chain's website and not necessarily in a search engine, but with a question to ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI tools: what should I buy, where should I buy, and which product gives the best value.

And this is the real change.

Until today, we searched for the information. The next stage is that the information will search for the best deal for us.

In the world they look for convenience, in Israel we will look for the price first

In the United States and Europe, a large part of the developing use of AI-based shopping assistants is related to convenience. The consumer can tell the system what they want to cook, how many people are sitting around the table, and what the budget is, and it will suggest a meal and build a shopping list.

In Israel, this option is interesting, but the first question will probably be a little different:

"I have 800 shekels. Build me the most cost-effective shopping cart for my family this week."

And here the consumer revolution begins.

Think of a system that knows our shopping cart and is not committed to Shufersal, Rami Levy, Carrefour, or Yohananoff. It knows that we buy a certain type of milk, a certain coffee, cornflakes that the children like, and laundry detergent that we don't want to change.

Now we give it a task:

"Keep the products that are important to me, but for any other product where you can save more than 20%, suggest an alternative."

Or:

"Find me the cheapest cart within a ten-kilometer radius, but also calculate the delivery price or the cost of the trip."

Or even:

"I have 700 shekels this week. Build me a full cart without exceeding the budget."

This is already much more than comparing the price of cottage cheese or a bottle of shampoo. This is household budget optimization. And here Israel actually has an interesting advantage: the infrastructure already exists.

Pricez already provides the information, AI can turn it into a decision

The Israeli consumer is not starting from scratch. Advanced price comparison tools have existed in Israel for years, led by Pricez, which allows comparing prices between food and pharmacy chains, building shopping lists, tracking price history, seeing promotions, receiving information by barcode, and even comparing alternatives by price per unit of measure. According to the service description, the prices are based on the price files published by the chains in accordance with the price transparency obligation.

Pricez is an excellent tool, but we are still the ones asking it the questions. Artificial intelligence can be the next layer above this information. In simple words: Pricez can be the eyes, and the AI can be the brain.

The eyes see that thousands of products are sold at different prices in dozens of chains and branches. The brain receives our needs and decides which of this information is even relevant to us.

And that is a huge difference. The consumer doesn't really need to know where each of the 100 products on their list is cheaper. They want an answer to one question: what should I do?

It is possible that the answer will be to buy everything in one chain. It is possible that it is worth splitting the purchase between two chains. It is possible that the system will discover that splitting the purchase will save only 32 shekels and therefore the extra trip is not worth it. And it is possible that it will tell us something much more important: your shopping cart has become 11% more expensive in three months, but if you replace six products with alternative brands, you will return almost to the previous price.

This is exactly where we move from price comparison to personal consumer consulting.

The Israeli loves brands, until they are shown how much it costs per year

The Israeli consumer has another characteristic that can make this use particularly interesting: we may look for price, but we are still very attached to habits and brands. We don't conduct market research in front of the coffee shelf every week. We reach for the product we know. The same thing happens with breakfast cereals, cleaning supplies, shampoo, delicacies, and snacks.

But an algorithm is not impressed by the packaging. If the product we are used to buying costs 24.90 shekels and a parallel product costs 15.90 shekels, it can show us not only the difference of nine shekels. It can say:

"You buy this product twice a month. Switching to an alternative will save you 216 shekels a year."

And suddenly brand loyalty gets a price. This does not mean that the consumer will necessarily switch. Sometimes taste, quality, and habit are more important than savings. But for the first time, the decision can be much more transparent.

And here lies perhaps one of the most powerful tools against the cost of living: not necessarily to cause all prices in the economy to drop, but to allow the consumer to identify within seconds where they are paying more for no real reason.

But who is really working for us?

There is also a second side to the story. One must not be confused and think that any AI system that offers us a product will necessarily be an objective consumer consultant. If we ask it "find me the most cost-effective coffee", we need to know on what basis the recommendation was received. Is it the price? The quality? Consumer reviews? Our shopping history? Or did a certain brand pay to get priority?

Here too, a new war begins. For years, chains have used information to understand us better and sell us more. They know what we bought, at what time, at what price, which coupon we responded to, and which promotion we skipped.

Now, for the first time, the consumer can also have an algorithm of their own. An algorithm that tells them:

"Don't buy three just because it says promotion, you need one."

"The packaging is indeed cheaper, but the price per 100 grams is actually higher."

"This product costs 19.90 shekels here, but three kilometers away it is sold for 14.90."

"Don't drive. The savings on the purchase don't cover the time and gas."

This is already a change in the balance of power.

So is this really a tool against the cost of living? The answer is yes, but one shouldn't be confused. ChatGPT will not lower tariffs, Gemini will not open Israel to imports, and AI will not solve problems of concentration and competition alone. These are problems that require policy, regulation, and real competition.

But the cost of living is not composed only of the price that the manufacturer or retailer sets. It also stems from our ability to make decisions. We sometimes buy out of habit, miss a promotion, fall for a promotion that is not really worth it, buy a large package that looks cheaper, don't check an alternative, and don't drive to another chain because we don't have time to conduct research before every purchase.

Exactly this cost can be reduced by artificial intelligence. It can take the amounts of information that already exist in systems like Pricez and turn them into a personal, simple, and above all practical recommendation.

Not to show me a thousand prices. To tell me what to do. Not to present me with 15 types of coffee. To tell me: "Buy the coffee you like here this week. For laundry detergent, it is better to switch to another product. And skip this promotion."

This is perhaps the difference between another app on the phone and a consumer tool that can really affect the household account. The Israeli consumer does not need artificial intelligence to do the shopping for them. They need something much more basic: AI, don't let me be a sucker.

Three questions before handing the cart to the algorithm

Can artificial intelligence save us money?

Yes, especially if it is connected to up-to-date and reliable information about prices, promotions, and products and knows how to adapt it to the habits and budget of the household.

Will price comparison apps disappear?

On the contrary. Services like Pricez can become even more important. They provide the information layer, and the AI can turn this information into a decision.

And what is the risk?

That the assistant that is supposed to work for us will become another advertising channel. Therefore, we will need to know who provides it with the information, why a certain product was recommended to us, and whether someone paid for us to see it.

Ultimately, the question is no longer whether artificial intelligence will enter the supermarket with us. It will enter. The question that will decide the consumer revolution is different: when it sits with us inside the shopping cart, who will it work for?