Singapore supermarket chain FairPrice Group is rolling out AI innovations developed with Google Cloud to improve the shopping experience for customers by the end of this year.

These include smart shopping carts, digital price cards, the hybrid digital-physical ShopBeyond retail format and Grocer Genie, an AI-powered staff app to help staff better manage store operations.

This expansion follows the launch last year of the group’s Store of Tomorrow (SoT) programme and first-generation AI-powered supermarket at Punggol Digital District late last year in collaboration with Google Cloud.

The SoT programme is a commitment to pilot 20 digital products a year aimed at reinventing retail experiences for customers and staff.

Vipul Chawla, FairPrice Group CEO, said technology was most powerful when it made peoples’ lives easier, and the SoT programme was all about using digital innovation to do just that for the group’s customers and staff.

“By bringing proven AI from our Store of Tomorrow programme to more supermarkets across the island, we want to reimagine the shopping experience for our customers and remove the friction from their weekly grocery runs,” he said. “Whether it’s with smart carts that provide personalised offers and in-store navigation, or hybrid retail formats that bring together the best of physical and online shopping, our aim with the programme is to make every day a little better for all in Singapore.”

Mark Micallef, managing director for Google Cloud in south-east Asia, added: “FairPrice Group’s Store of Tomorrow programme is a masterclass in how retailers can thoughtfully and strategically transcend enterprise AI pilots to achieve tangible value at scale. By deploying tried-and-tested innovations in its supermarkets island-wide, FairPrice Group is realising significant operational RoI from measurable productivity gains to a clear reduction in checkout friction.”

The supermarket at Punggol Digital District serves as the testbed for retail technology pilots run through the SoT programme. Sarah Jane Vasquez, branch manager at Punggol Digital District, said her role had evolved a lot since the introduction of the SoT programme.

“New digital tools like Grocer Genie help me automate manual work like eyeballing when shelves need to be restocked and even staff rostering,” she said. “This frees up time for me to lead and coach my team. Ultimately, this initiative has empowered us to serve our customers faster, smarter and better.”

Smart carts, digital price cards, ShopBeyond and the Grocer Genie staff app were first piloted in the store in August last year. Following a rigorous evaluation of how much they improve customer value and operational efficiency, a curated mix of these will be deployed across FairPrice outlets by end of this year, tailored to the needs of each store.

The SoT programme (iotm2mcouncil.org/iot-library/news/smart-retail-news/fairprice-rolls-out-store-of-tomorrow-ai-roadmap/) is anchored by a collaboration with Google Cloud (cloud.google.com) to deliver on a shared vision to make things easier on the wallet, experience and planet for consumers with the power of digital innovation.

As part of this strategy, FairPrice (www.fairpricegroup.com.sg) also integrated MyInfo into its app in May 2025 to make the application of its daily discount schemes easier for eligible shoppers. By verifying their information on the app once with MyInfo, eligible customers need only check out with the app to have relevant discounts applied automatically to their purchases. Since this implementation, close to 900,000 Link members have updated their app profiles via MyInfo, and now enjoy the seamless application of discounts when making payment.

To find out more about the SoT programme, visit www.fairpricegroup.com.sg/our-story-and-purpose/store-of-tomorrow/.