Carrefour trials tech in France that sends customers offers as they shop

French supermarket group Carrefour invited customers to test a new technology that sends personalised promotions directly to customers’ smartphones while they shop. 

Shoppers in Carrefour's hypermarket in Villabé, in Essonne were able to receive offers in real time as they walked through the aisles. 

For example, by passing the cereal section, the customer could receive a discount notification, which activates a flashing shelf label to help locate the product.

“It’s good, at least it helps us avoid looking for things,” a customer told France 2. 

Not everyone was excited by the technology however with one shopper telling the network: "I make myself a shopping list and then stick to it pretty closely. I don't want to buy things I don't need." 

The system links smartphone notifications with in-store positioning technology and customer loyalty data, allowing the supermarket to suggest products based on shopping habits and profile information. 

This technology can roughly tell which part of the store a customer is in, such as a specific aisle or section. 

The feature is optional and must be activated by the customer and the number of notifications is limited to avoid overwhelming shoppers. 

The experiment forms part of a bigger transformation strategy at Carrefour, which is investing heavily in artificial intelligence and connected store systems. 

The in-store shopping alerts are part of a new long-term partnership which Carrefour has signed with the tech provider VusionGroup aimed at deploying smart-store technology throughout its French supermarkets and hypermarkets by 2030. 

Besides the in-store alerts, which rely on electronic shelf labels and Bluetooth-based tracking, there will also be AI-powered cameras to monitor stock levels and shelf accuracy. 

The company says these tools are intended to improve efficiency, reduce empty shelves and enhance the customer experience, while also supporting online orders and logistics.

While the technology is now being tested in Villabé, no official announcement has been made yet on when the personalised promotion feature will be rolled out nationwide.

Carrefour has also recently launched a separate initiative called ‘Carrefour des générations’, offering over-65s in its smaller convenience stores benefits such as free home delivery, extra in-store assistance and dedicated product labelling.