Introducing Jiva – GrocerAI’s Conversational AI for Consumers and Retailers

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of our latest innovation: Jiva, GrocerAI’s virtual agent and the newest superpower in our toolkit. Jiva stands for Just-In-Time Intelligent & Interactive Virtual Agent:

• Just-In-Time: Ready to assist users whenever needed.
• Intelligent: Smart, personalized responses to users’ natural language queries.
• Interactive: An engaging, conversational style that enhances user experience.

At a deeper level, Jiva is inspired by the Sanskrit word meaning "life" or "vitality." Our conversational AI brings fresh energy to meal planning and grocery shopping. Jiva aligns seamlessly with our mission to make healthy eating affordable and accessible to all Americans, embodying energy, nourishment, and care—everything essential to the culinary experience we aim to elevate. Imagine chatting with someone who knows food as well as you do—or even better! With Jiva, you can ask questions, explore meal ideas, and receive tailored recommendations, all in natural language. Whether you're looking for a quick answer or a detailed plan to eat healthily on a budget, Jiva makes meal planning and shopping both effortless and enjoyable. In line with our mission, Jiva is completely free for consumers and accessible through a mobile-responsive site with no login or signup required.

Once on the site, try asking questions like:

• "What's for dinner tonight?"
• "Can you recommend 7 healthy meals under $100?"
• "Surprise me with healthy, vegetarian meals from American, Italian, French, Mexican, and Indian."
• "What can I make with garlic, tomatoes, green bell peppers, and yellow onion?"
• "Can you suggest some vegetarian and gluten-free meals?"

Jiva responds instantly with personalized meal recommendations, including health and pricing summaries. Each meal is clickable, revealing detailed ingredient lists, health benefits, local prices, recipes, nutritional & dietary info, and prep & cook time. Or, select multiple meals and click “Compare Store Prices” to check out from over 1,400 national, regional, and local retailers supported by Instacart. With Jiva, a student in California or an investment banker in New York can go from food inspiration to full-basket checkout with a preferred local retailer in under 30 seconds (see the demo video below). As we approach the holiday season, Jiva can help jumpstart your New Year's health resolutions!

What Jiva Brings to Retailers

At Groceryshop 2024, I had insightful discussions with several grocery retailers on conversational AI like Jiva. While this technology has the potential to revolutionize the industry, most retailers are 3-5 years away from implementing it meaningfully. To accelerate our mission, we’re now announcing Jiva’s licensing by which it can be hosted directly on retailers’ websites. Jiva injects new life into traditional search and personalization initiatives, offering a powerful tool for revenue growth through enhanced customer experience, deeper engagement, and increased conversion rates.

For a mid-size grocery retailer with $50 billion in annual revenue, approximately 15-20% of revenue typically comes from online/digital channels, where Jiva’s impact is most significant. Based on this, Jiva’s integration could create an uplift of $150M to $525M in the first year (2-7% of digital sales), depending on baseline performance, competitive landscape, and the level of Jiva’s integration. This boost reflects larger basket sizes, higher conversion rates, improved retention, and greater customer satisfaction through personalized, health-focused meal planning and budget-conscious recommendations. Here’s a breakdown of Jiva’s key value drivers:

1. Increased Basket Size (5-10% Lift) Jiva’s conversational AI can suggest complementary items, recipes, and health-focused options tailored to each user’s query. By offering personalized recommendations, Jiva encourages customers to add more items to their cart per visit. For example, a user query such as “7 healthy meals under $100” could add hundreds of relevant products to a customer’s cart in just a few clicks. Studies indicate that such personalized recommendations can lift basket size by 15-25%. For Jiva, we estimate a 5-10% increase in average basket size across digital channels. With 20-25% of the retailer’s digital customers adopting Jiva in year one, this could yield a 1-2.5% increase in basket size for a revenue lift of:

• $75M to $250M

2. Higher Conversion Rate (5-7% Lift) Traditional product searches often yield irrelevant results, causing lost sales. Imagine searching for “Vegetarian Lasagna” and receiving unrelated, frozen meat products. Jiva’s natural language understanding guides customers to relevant meals and ingredients, increasing the likelihood of completing purchases by 5-7%. With 20-25% of the retailer’s digital customers adopting Jiva in year one, this could yield a 1-1.75% increase in conversion rates, contributing:

• $75M to $175M

3. Improved Customer Retention (7-10% Lift in Repeat Purchases) Jiva’s personalized interaction style fosters loyalty by making customers feel understood and individually served, a powerful driver of repeat business. Repeat customers typically spend 67% more than new ones. With 20-25% of the retailer’s digital customers adopting Jiva in year one, this could yield a 1.4-2.5% lift in repeat purchases, translating to:

• $100M to $250M

4. Increased Customer Satisfaction (5-10% Lift in CLTV) Jiva’s health and pricing intelligence enables grocery retailers to attract a broad range of consumers, from the health-conscious to the budget-conscious, by addressing specific dietary and financial needs. This level of personalization can increase Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) by 5-10%. With 20-25% of the retailer’s digital customers adopting Jiva in year one, this could yield a 1-2.5% increase in CLTV, contributing:

• $75M to $250M

5. Attracting New Customers (1-3% Growth in Market Share) Retailers implementing Jiva can stand out with a user-friendly digital experience, capturing greater market share by boosting customer acquisition. This unique offering could lead to 1-3% market share growth. With 20-25% of the retailer’s digital customers adopting Jiva, this could yield a 0.2-0.75% increase in market share, adding:

• $15M to $75M

Jiva Revenue Uplift Summary for Mid-size Retailer

• Basket Size Increase: $75M to $250M
• Higher Conversion Rate: $75M to $175M
• Improved Customer Retention: $100M to $250M
• Increased CLTV: $75M to $250M
• Market Share Growth: $15M to $75M

Attached is a 1-page visual that captures our integrated value proposition for both Consumers and Retailers. We’re immensely proud to launch Jiva on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, bringing vitality and innovation to every meal moment. Wishing you joyful holidays and a healthy, prosperous New Year ahead!