Consumer Behavior

Walmart tops US grocery sales

Photo: Scott Habermann - stock.adobe.com

May 19, 2026

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Walmart owns 21% of U.S. grocery sales but when it comes to AI suggestions relating to grocery shopping, wholesaler Costco ranks first.

Those are top findings from the U.S. Grocery Retail AI Visibility Index 2026, the 11th installment in 5W's AI Visibility Index research series, according to a press release.

Trader Joe's ranks second when American shoppers ask ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews where to buy groceries.

"Market share is a lagging indicator. AI citation share is a leading indicator," Ronn Torossian, founder and chairman of 5W, said in the release. "The grocers who close that gap in 2026 will define the category in 2030. Most grocery CMOs we talk to are running 2019 playbooks against 2026 consumer behavior."

Additional findings include:

Walmart's roughly 21% share translates to an estimated 8% to 10% AI citation share across premium query categories.
Private label is the highest-leverage citation asset a grocer owns. Kirkland, Trader Joe's, 365, Good & Gather and Great Value are cited directly by name in AI answers at rates that exceed most national CPG brands.