The Shoprite Group has launched a new digital business unit called, ShopriteX . The new unit combines data science, technology and innovation with its operational strength to provide increasingly enhanced customer experiences.
Incubated over the past year, ShopriteX is combining data science and technology to create more personalised shopping experiences for customers.
ShopriteX already delivered two industry-leading innnovations – Xtra Savings, South Africa’s fastest-growing rewards programme with 20 million members to date, and Checkers Sixty60 the first on-demand 60-minute supermarket grocery delivery service in South Africa.
“We are serious about being Africa’s most customer-centric retailer, and the launch of ShopriteX represents our investment in fit-for-the-future precision retail, which is increasingly digital and data-led,” says Pieter Engelbrecht, CEO of the Shoprite Group.
The launch is part of the Group’s strategy to grow its ecosystem of value for consumers and monetise new and diverse revenue streams.
At the ShopriteX offices above the new Checkers Hyper Brackenfell flagship store next to the Group’s home office, the division’s 250-strong team, including data science, e-commerce and personalisation experts, is working side by side with Shoprite’s IT team (combined a team of over 1 000 people) to create and implement new innovations.
The new offices are also home to the latest retail innovation, Checkers Rush, an automated, cashless “no queues, no checkout, no waiting” concept store, where employees can grab products and walk out. Using advanced AI camera technology to identify the products being taken off the shelves, Checkers Rush bills users’ bank cards upon exit.
This is one of the numerous digital innovations under development. “The next era of growth for us is about precision retailing. ShopriteX will use our rich customer data to supercharge a ‘Smarter Shoprite’ and ultimately fuse the best of digital with our operational strength across the continent,” Engelbrecht said.
Neil Schreuder, Chief of Strategy and Innovation said that “Shoprite to the power of X represents the exponential growth opportunity when you combine the best of data, tech, and talent with the scale of the Shoprite Group”.
