The first automated supermarket of the French chain Carrefour opens in the United Arab Emirates. A center that follows the path taken by Amazon and employs various high-tech systems.
Carrefour's first automated supermarket
Carrefour takes the first step towards automation and the future . The first employee-free supermarket with automatic payment opened its doors in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai on 6 September. After the automatic cash machines, now present in many supermarkets, the French giant is projecting towards the future.
In this way, the traditional idea of a cash desk is renounced, thus allowing simplifying purchases accelerating times for consumers who now will not have to wait in line to pay . According to Forbes, Carrefour is the ninth largest retailer in the world in terms of turnover and is still the largest supermarket chain in Europe by number of stores.
Globally, in 2020, with approximately 12,225 stores in over 30 countries, it had sales of $ 101 billion.
Carrefour presents City + on Twitter
“ Carrefour City + will forever change the way you shop! Stop at the Mall of the Emirates for a seamless, cashier-free experience that will keep you coming back for more! No cash . You can simply go out “announced Carrefour United Arab Emirates on the official Twitter account, accompanying the post with an explanatory video. The inauguration was attended by Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Teleworking Applications.
The technology of the supermarket of the future
The technology of the supermarket of the future
Before entering the automated supermarket to shop, customers must download and install the Carrefour application on their smartphone. Once you have done this simple operation, you will need to link your bank account . Without the supermarket app it will not be possible to access the center. At this point, once inside, the artificial intelligence intervenes. Carrefour has implemented a monitoring system which takes into account the more than 1300 products available in the store and constantly checks which of these are taken by customers for purchase. Nearly one hundred small surveillance cameras have been installed on the ceiling. Countless sensors line the shelves. The system calculates the total sum of the customers' spending and a few minutes after their exit the amount is charged directly to the account that has been associated with the application, with the receipt arriving directly on the smartphone .
Better customer experience
Carrefour City +, the experimental store of the French chain in the United Arab Emirates, follows the example of the giant Amazon , which in January 2018 inaugurated the first Amazon Go in Seattle ), in the United States. Likewise, many other companies in the industry are investing in automation . The systems used, artificial intelligence and machine learning , are the means to eliminate checkout lines, cut costs and collect data on purchases and consumer behavior . “We believe in brick-and-mortar stores in the future. However, we believe the experience will change. This is what the future will be like. We use data to provide a better experience in the future, where customers don't have to think about the next products they want. All insights they are used internally in order to provide a better shopping experience “said the CEO of Majid Al Futtai, the holding company that manages Carrefour in the Middle East.
The other Carrefour stores without employees
For the French chain it is not the first step towards automation and the automated supermarket of the future. In January 2020, the brand opened a shop without employees in Taiwan . Intended for the workers of the building in which it is located, this store is not a real supermarket, having less variety of products. The Taipei store, iCarrefour , requires that customers scan the barcodes of the items purchased and proceed with the payment with the application at the automatic cashiers present. Once completed, buyers can proceed with the scan of a QR code to exit the iCarrefour . Similar scan-and-go technology is present in the unmanned stores opened in Brazil during 2021, installed in residential neighborhoods or co-working centers.
