Sainsbury’s launches AI-powered self-checkouts to streamline shopping experience

UK – Sainsbury’s, the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, has jumped on the AI bandwagon with the introduction of new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology across 22,500 checkouts, enabling self-checkouts to identify unbarcoded items like loose fruits and vegetables more swiftly.

The tech will revolutionize the shopping experience by also tackling the common issue of unexpected items in the bagging area, often requiring staff intervention, by allowing supermarket workers to remotely approve certain transactions using tablets.

Clodagh Moriarty, Sainsbury’s chief retail and technology director, commented on the innovation: “Our commitment to unbeatable quality food and great service, whether in-store or online, is strengthened by NCR Voyix technology.

“NCR has grown alongside Sainsbury’s for two decades, unlocking new capabilities and optimising product management, sales forecasting and store efficiencies. This is driving us to the Next Level and delivers for customers, colleagues and shareholders.”

Moreover, the AI system will also enhance Sainsbury’s sales forecasting with real-time data and provide customers with more personalized promotions. The rollout will extend beyond supermarkets to include convenience stores and gas stations.

Morrisons was the first UK supermarket to use artificial intelligence-powered cameras across its stores as it aims to boost availability and staff efficiency.

The new technology came as part of a partnership with US-based AI firm Focal System, and will be implemented across Morrisons stores by the end of the year, reported The Grocer.

The tech has the cameras to provide real-time data on shopfront stock availability and the ability to automate decisions such as merchandising, ordering and pricing.

In the past other technology rollouts at the retail giant have been centred on security, including the installation of police terminals and the deploying of moving ‘RoboCop’ style security cameras that sparked a backlash from shoppers.

AI in grocery stores is being used to improve the accuracy of sales forecasts, get better results from promotions, and automate retail processes in general.

Computer vision systems keep track of inventory on shelves, and other AI systems let consumers pay automatically, without going to a checkout line, by tracking what’s in their carts.

AI software also helps grocers experiment with price changes to maximize profits and see the effects of price shifts on products frequently bought together—such as whether lower prices on corn chips would boost salsa sales.

To fuel AI-based decisions, grocery retailers collect huge amounts of data, mainly from their point-of-sale systems, ecommerce sites, loyalty programs, and in-store cameras, as well as information on the weather, nutrition, and demographics from external sources. They store it in data warehouse software for statistical analysis.

AI application helps retailers see customers’ “decision trees”—graphs of how customers make product choices, and the order and importance of various product attributes. An algorithm weighs how shoppers evaluate assortments and predicts what they might buy if their desired product isn’t available.

That analysis helps supermarkets optimize planning and ordering, so customers don’t leave a store empty-handed.

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