Smart carts, AI shopping assistants: A look at FairPrice Finest's Store of Tomorrow at Punggol Digital District

Shopping carts with built-in displays and scanners, AI-powered assistants that recommend supplements — these are some features and more that Punggol Coast residents can expect as FairPrice Finest's newest outlet officially opened on Thursday (Aug 28).

Located along the Punggol Digital District (PDD), the two-storey supermarket is FairPrice Group's (FPG) venture into using technologies powered by AI as part of the grocery shopping experience, under its programme with Google Cloud called the Store of Tomorrow. 

A key feature is the smart carts which come equipped with built-in displays that provide in-store navigation, highlight promotions for nearby products as they move through the store, give product recommendations and scan-and-go functionality.

This essentially means that shoppers can expect to choose, find, pick up and then pay for their items just by using the cart — enabled via the QR code on their FPG app. 

Beyond groceries, there are features powered by generative-AI (gen-AI) like the Tanita Machine, which provides tailored recommendations for health supplements based on a short body composition analysis that shoppers can do on the spot.

Other gen-AI 'shopping assistants' include the Digital Wine Sommelier, which gives shoppers recommendations for wine based on their personal preferences. 

As digital price tags are used across all products in the store, shoppers are also able to scan for a product via the QR code on the card to find out more about it or products that complement it but that aren't available in the store.

The second floor of the outlet houses a home and lifestyle retail section and a grocer bar serving cocktails.

Apart from improving the shopper experience, there are also solutions to support staff and their day-to-day operations.

These include video analytics that give staff real-time updates on when a shelf needs restocking or there's a spill that needs to be cleaned.

Grocer Genie is a smartphone app-based virtual assistant that serves as a staff portal for all store operations. 

The PDD outlet will serve as a testbed for these services and solutions, which could potentially be rolled out across FPG's FairPrice outlets and other businesses, including Kopitiam food courts, Cheers convenience stores, and Unity pharmacies.

FairPrice Finest's newest store is also a welcome presence for residents in the Punggol Coast area, with the nearest other grocery store being the FairPrice outlet at the Punggol Point Woods BTO estate, which is also smaller. 

Hannah Batrisyia, a 28-year-old who lives at the nearby Punggol Point Cove with her husband, was among some early shoppers at the outlet.

She told AsiaOne: "We feel happier because the other FairPrice outlet does not have a lot of variety. We browsed through some of the items here, and we realise that there are more of the things that we want like our daily necessities."  

Shopper Irene Lau, a 49-year-old Sengkang resident who regularly travels to Punggol Coast, told AsiaOne that she would consider visiting this outlet more often. "Even though I don't live here, I feel it's very good for the residents here, and the space is very nice." 

Vipul Chawla, Group CEO of FairPrice Group who attended the launch event, said realising FPG's Store of Tomorrow plans was about more than impressing customers. "Over the last couple of years, technology has been a critical enabler for FPG to not just adapt to, but stay ahead of fast-changing consumer needs and expectations."

The outlet, located at Tower 98 of the sprawling Punggol Coast Mall vicinity, is below a 208-room hospitality project, which is currently tendered and seeking bidders.

Address: 98 Punggol Way, #01-217 and #02-217, Tower 98 Punggol Coast Mall, 829857
Opening hours: 8am to 11pm

[[nid:721627]]