AI shopping expectations rise, Big Lots stores face higher service bar
Algolia surveyed 1,000 German shoppers in June and found growing demand for AI help with search, discounts and product picks, a bar Big Lots associates will feel on the floor.
Algolia surveyed 1,000 German consumers in June 2026 and found that many want shopping tools that are more relevant, convenient and personalized. For Big Lots workers, that points to a familiar store-floor reality: more shoppers arriving with sharper product questions, stronger price-match expectations and less patience when an item is out of stock.
The study found practical demand for better product discovery, AI customer service chatbots, digital assistants that can help choose products, and personalized offers and discounts. That changes the front end of the shopping trip. Customers who use AI tools to narrow choices online are more likely to walk into a store expecting the aisle, the app and the associate to work together, not to restart the search from scratch.
Big Lots has already moved in that direction in parts of its digital business. In November 2024, the company launched a new app for Big Reward members with a personalized dashboard, exclusive notifications and Rewards Ready alerts. Its website still leans on daily deals, shop-by-category browsing and the ability to shop online or in store, while its lease-to-own flow uses app-based shopping and requires a team member to validate items in store through Progressive Leasing.
The pressure on those tools comes after a rough stretch for the chain. Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2024, then announced going-out-of-business sales at all remaining locations in December 2024 and said it had 963 stores left while pursuing a sale to Nexus Capital Management. A 2025 relaunch under Variety Wholesalers left the brand operating 219 stores in 15 states, a much smaller footprint that makes every cleaner search result, loyalty prompt and accurate answer more important.
That smaller store base also means more of the first-round merchandising work falls on digital tools before a customer ever reaches an associate. In a deal-driven chain, the person on the floor is more likely to be answering pointed questions about what is available now, what is on sale and whether there is a faster path to a better price.
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