Given Singapore’s high standard of living, customer expectations are also soaring for this supermarket and food retail chain.
On 5 June 2025, a Singapore firm specializing in various retail food and beverage businesses announced its program to enhance customer experiences at its supermarkets through the implementation of a turnkey cloud and AI technologies platform into its retail touchpoints.
Touting its Store of Tomorrow program, the Fairprice Group (FPG) will embed the technologies into new and existing in-store and omnichannel retail touchpoints to redefine customer experiences by the third quarter of 2025 in an outlet in Punggol Digital District.
Examples of some supermarket technology implementations based on cloud-centric back-end, data management, and generative AI (gen AI) automation infrastructure include:
- Cloud-connected shopping carts: These smart carts feature display screens that offer visual guides of in-store navigation, promotions for products near the cart locations, and personalized product recommendations based on users’ shopping needs. Customers can also use the carts’ built-in scanners for convenient scan-and-pay transactions.
- An AI-powered store operations portal: A one-stop command center featuring integrated AI agents and GenAI large language models that is accessible through multiple channels, including mobile (i.e., Android and iOS) and a web app. Store operations teams can use this to receive intelligent task assignment and data-driven insights on key performance metrics such as sales, inventory or customer satisfaction data. Queries will be contextually relevant and expressed in natural language and/or through visualizations. A store manager can even photograph a spill on the supermarket alley, upload it to the portal, and the AI will automatically assign a team member for the cleanup task.
- In-store video analytics: Existing in-store closed-circuit TV infrastructure will be enriched with agentic workflows that deliver real-time updates to staff on where support or intervention is required. For instance, the solution could:
- detect emptying shelves and preemptively alert staff to restock relevant product
- analyze growing queues in checkout areas and prompt staff to open additional registers
- flag potential safety hazards such as fallen items or obstructions for staff resolution
FPG’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Vipul Chawla, said of the Singapore food retailing landscape: “The last few years of global disruption have shown that the only certainty in retail is how quickly consumer needs, tastes, and preferences evolve… we’re applying interoperable, best-in-class GenAI and data analytics capabilities to reimagine shopper engagement across physical and digital formats and make things easier on the experience and wallet for our customers.”
Going forward, the firm plans to implement in-store biometric payment systems that are integrated into the country’s government various support programs for seniors and lower-income groups. It aims to pilot more than 20 new digital solutions a year for the next three years so that its customers can benefit from enhanced shopping experiences while stretching their dollar through hyper-personalized deals catered to their tastes, budget, and purchasing habits.
According to Karan Bajwa, President (Asia Pacific), Google Cloud, the technology provider for FPG, the Store of Tomorrow program “demonstrates how enterprise AI can be harnessed to foster deeper connections between retailers and consumers, while streamlining operations. Purpose-built AI agents, in particular, are helping to automate repetitive tasks, improve staff productivity, and elevate customer experiences.”
