Retail technology innovation of the week: Reckon AI powers new BuyBye by Carrefour store
Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a new series brought to you by RTIH and sponsored by 3D Cloud by Marxent, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers.
Every week, we will showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, in the run up to the publication of the 2024 report early next year.
So far, we’ve showcased work being done by Ocado Retail, Decathlon, Lacoste, Downtown Spirits, TalkShopLive, Huck’s, Rovertown, Wing, McDonald’s, Google Cloud. Nobody’s Child, IKI, Pixevia, Walmart, A.L.C., Archive, Therabody, Outform, Kingfisher, PMC, Żabka Polska, Boots UK, Ocula Technologies, Grace O'Malley Irish Whiskey, and Metacask.
And this week, we’re focusing on Carrefour Belgium, which has opened its smallest store in Belgium, measuring just 18 sqm.
BuyBye by Carrefour is located at the retailer’s Belgian headquarters in Zaventem (near Brussels).
The autonomous store consists of a series of refrigerated vending machines where customers can purchase lunch, snacks, cold drinks and fruit.
Shoppers need to download the Carrefour BuyBye app, create an account and add a payment method before they can use the app to open the machines, take out products and check-out.
Initially, this will be open Monday to Friday from 7am to 10pm to start with, but from January it will be available seven days a week.
It is the result of a collaboration with startup Reckon AI, which specialises in micro-stores equipped with artificial intelligence.
In a LinkedIn post, Reckon AI said: “Picture this: aisles guided by AI, curated sections tailored to your needs, and an immersive shopping experience like never before. This store isn't just a place to shop; it's a destination where innovation meets your everyday needs.”
Plans are afoot to roll-out the concept to Carrefour Belgium’s existing physical stores.
Continue reading…