FairPrice uses AI trolleys, smart checkouts in Punggol ‘Store of Tomorrow’

AI trolleys guide shoppers through the store.

Singapore’s FairPrice Group has opened its 'Store of Tomorrow' in Punggol, featuring AI-powered trolleys and smart checkout systems designed to enhance the grocery shopping experience and boost customer basket sizes.

Customers entering the store can now scan the FairPrice app to access a personalised grocery list, automatically generated based on past purchases, Vipul Chawla, group CEO of FairPrice Group, said at the Retail Asia Summit 2025 in Singapore.

Smart trolleys equipped with tablets and eight cameras then guide shoppers to items using in-store mapping, while electronic shelf labels flash to pinpoint products.

As customers move through the store, location-based offers appear in real time. Checkout is automatic, eliminating the need for traditional queues.

The store also uses Vision AI to monitor stock levels, alert managers of low inventory, and trigger replenishment, while a “Grocer Genie” dashboard gives staff live updates on operations, weather patterns, and customer needs.

The flagship outlet—designed with generative AI and smart technology—has seen the average shopping basket grow from S$25 to S$45 since launch.

To enable this shift, FairPrice has invested in training its workforce—whose average age is 54—in a “Growth Mindset” programme. “It’s about embracing failure and learning from it. It’s about not being fearful of change,” said Chawla.

Despite its technological leap, FairPrice remains anchored to its founding mission of keeping daily essentials affordable—a purpose established 50 years ago during Singapore’s oil crisis.