Shopping in a flash: Carrefour Argentina enlists startup Go2Future for autonomous stores first

The first autonomous Carrefour Flash store has opened in Latin America.

Tapping Go2Future miniGO technology and using cameras on the ceiling and sensors integrated into the shelves, this is a 50 square metre store located in Argentina, in the town of Pilar, a province of Buenos Aires.

Via an app, the products that customers choose are automatically loaded into a virtual cart and payment is made upon leaving, without the need to use a traditional checkout. It is also possible to buy online and pick up in-store or request home delivery.

“We are excited to be able to implement innovative purchasing alternatives in Argentina,” says Pablo Lorenzo, CEO at Carrefour Argentina.

“We listen to our clients and customers and we know that speed and simplicity are essential characteristics when going to stores. We seek to be up to the task and we hope that in Carrefour Flash they will find an ideal shopping experience.”

“We are an Argentine startup that provides solutions based on artificial intelligence to eliminate friction in modern retail. In a technological partnership with Carrefour Argentina, we developed the chain's first autonomous store in the country,” comments Eduardo Luis Koglot, CEO at Go2Future.

France

In November 2021, Carrefour opened a Flash 10/10 concept store in Paris.

The convenience store – developed in collaboration with US startup AiFi – was pitched as the first of its kind in France. It is located at 11 avenue Parmentier, in the capital’s eleventh arrondissement. 

Flash 10/10 ("10 seconds to shop and 10 seconds to pay”) features a shopping journey that does not involve having to scan any products and quick payment.

Customers don't need to take items out of their bags. They can enter and exit the store without having to pass through a gateway. There is no need to download an app or register beforehand. And they can view their total spend in real-time.

Four employees are on hand to open the store and oversee its operation. They also manage its new e-commerce services (including Pedestrian Click and Collect).

The experience is made possible by 60 HD cameras, nearly 2,000 sensors built into connected shelves, an algorithm for interpreting data and a proprietary tablet payment system.

Customers are tracked anonymously as a virtual avatar, allocated to them as soon as they enter the store. The products that they pick up are automatically detected and then added to their virtual basket.

Once they have finished shopping, customers get their baskets validated at a kiosk and then pay contactlessly. They can get an electronic receipt sent to them immediately by scanning a QR code. An automatic checkout kiosk is also available for those wishing to pay with cash

Carrefour Flash was tested at Carrefour's head office in Massy over a period of a year or so, during which the innovation team was able to refine the technology and adapt the concept based on feedback from employees using it on a daily basis. 

In March 2021, Carrefour Brazil launched Flash Scan & Go, where customers can use their smartphones to shop and pay for the products they want to take home. 

And in September 2021, Carrefour opened its Carrefour City+ concept in Dubai alongside Emirati partner Majid Al Futtaim.

“The Flash concept checks our customers’ expectations. They want to be able enter the store easily, know what they are buying, pay quickly and then leave. Compared with other existing concepts, with Carrefour Flash, customers get speed and accessibility in a unique way,” said Elodie Perthuisot, Carrefour Group's Executive Director of E-Commerce, Data and Digital Transformation.

“We are proud to partner with Carrefour to build this delightful shopping experience for shoppers. Following our initial testing in Massy, we are excited to be launching this store in Paris,” said Ying Zheng, Co-founder and President, AiFi.