Colruyt Looks To The ‘Store Of The Future'

The technology, developed entirely by Colruyt Group’s Smart Technics innovation team, links sales figures to the store’s stock and the location of the products on the shelves.

This information is displayed in the form of a floor plan on a screen in the store’s stock area.

Shelf Scanner

Employees can now see which shelves need to be replenished as a priority, to ensure that customers always find the right products at the right time.

The Belgian market leader said a test is also underway with a shelf scanner – a camera that scans the shelves. It maps the status of the shelves through an automated process.

In this way, store deliveries can be optimised and the appropriate place for a product on the shelf can be analysed. Both technologies work with artificial intelligence developed by Colruyt Group, and transmit data in real time.

Roll-Out

Colruyt said it aims to offer a better service for customers and more efficient time management for employees through these initiatives.

The retailer is currently testing various technologies at its Halle store. It added that the initial results are promising, although a longer-term test is needed to really identify the big gains.

The next step will be a roll-out of the test to several stores.

ESM