The group is piloting a small generative AI-powered digital shopping assistant, readying it for launch in the rest of Thailand, Vietnam
In Thailand, Central Retail Limited operates well-known consumer brands in a multi-format, multi-category retailing platform covering food; consumer goods; fashion; realty and health and wellness.
On 2 Dec 2024, the group announced the pilot testing of a digital shopping assistant powered by generative AI (GenAI) to create a more customized and convenient shopping experience. As a first-of-its-kind bot, the shopping assistant also leverages data analytics and enterprise semantic search engine capabilities.
Developed based on insights from a demographic of customers who primarily reside in urban areas, lead fast-paced lifestyles, and often lack the time to visit physical stores or prepare meals themselves, the shopping assistant has the following real-time features:
- Personalized shopping: Recommends users of standout products, new arrivals, and exclusive items tailored to the customer’s lifestyle. Creates shopping baskets based on purchase history and provides a summary of selected items.
- Culinary assistant: Assists in the planning of meals by calculating the quantity of ingredients required for each dish based on the number of servings being planned. It also accommodates dietary restrictions, religious requirements, and food allergies.
- Savings Guru: Compiles store discounts, loyalty point promotions, and seasonal offers to help customers save more.
- Personal chat bot: Seamlessly integrates with an existing Personal Shopper service to let customers connect directly with staff for additional assistance.
- Online inventory management: At the back end, the feature optimizes operational efficiency by reducing the need for manual stock checks. Additionally, it drives sales growth through a cross-selling strategy based on historical customer purchase habits.
The firm is leveraging its enterprise data (stored in different formats across various sources) via a “universal metastore” with fine-grained access controls, enabling the secure delivery of real-time analytics that reduce the time between signal, insight, and action.
Said Stephane Coum, CEO, Central Food Retail Group: “We prioritize the integration of digital technology and AI to refine our operations and elevate the customer experience, adapting swiftly to the dynamic trends and demands of the digital era. With this (shopping bot) initiative, we aim to set new benchmarks for the Thai retail industry, paving the way for a more innovative future.”
The shopping assistant will make a debut at Tops Food Hall, Central Chidlom, followed by roll-outs to all Tops branches nationwide in the near future.
According to Annop Siritikul, Country Director (Thailand), Google Cloud, the firm’s bot technology partner, Central Retail has leveraged cloud AI and data processing to tap its diverse data sources, including inventory, product catalogs, curated recipes, and customer insights — all while upholding stringent security and privacy standards. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with Central Retail to bring more enterprise-grade data- and AI-driven innovations to shoppers in Thailand.”
