Carrefour has opened a micro autonomous store in Belgium designed to help consumers save time when making last-minute purchases.
Carrefour BuyBye, which is the grocer’s smallest store with a surface area of only 18m2, works entirely on the basis of artificial intelligence, with a combination of cameras and weighing, the company said in a statement.
For instance, on each shelf cameras are strategically placed to provide dual control, ensuring maximum precision in billing. The technology the store uses is also reportedly trained to recognize each product from several different angles enabling a more seamless shopping experience.
Of the products on display, refigerated items are a core focus enabling customers to buy lunch, snacks, soft drinks and fruit among other things. The new approach to grocery shoppping joins Carrefour’s existing Hyper, Market, Express and e-commerce formats.
How does it work?
Consumers can open the refrigerator doors via the “Carrefour BuyBye” app by scanning a QR code to unlock the door and start the purchase process.
Once the refrigerator doors are opened, the customer chooses from a selection of products and is given an instant receipt on the app upon completion of the purchase.
Selected items are recognized and automatically charged to the customer’s bank account removing the need for a traditonal cash register.
Carrefour said the micro-store in Zaventem will serve as a test store before it decides whether to expand further. The project was carried out in collaboration with the startup Reckon AI, which specializes in the design of micro-stores equipped with artificial intelligence.
