Key Takeaways
Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on Penny, the AI that shops for you
- Pick n Pay's Penny assistant uses Google Gemini to accept voice, text, and photo-based grocery orders
- The tool launches July 6 and supports multiple languages plus handwritten shopping list recognition
- This positions Pick n Pay against Shoprite's Checkers Sixty60, which dominates South Africa's on-demand grocery market
Pick n Pay, South Africa's second-largest grocery retailer by revenue, launched an AI-powered shopping assistant on Thursday that lets customers build orders by speaking, typing, or snapping photos. The tool, called Penny, runs on Google's Gemini AI and rolls out July 6.
The move is a direct response to Shoprite's Checkers Sixty60, which dominates the country's fast-growing on-demand grocery delivery market. Pick n Pay has lost market share to Shoprite for years. Penny is part of a broader digital turnaround bet.
What can Penny actually do?
Penny accepts three input types: voice notes, text prompts, and images. That last category is the interesting one. Shoppers can photograph a handwritten shopping list, a recipe from a cookbook, or a product they want to reorder. Gemini's multimodal capabilities parse the image and add the relevant items to the cart.
The assistant also handles recipe suggestions, ingredient substitutions, meal planning, and budget-conscious shopping recommendations. It works in multiple languages, a practical requirement in South Africa's linguistically diverse market.
“On-demand delivery changed how people shop. AI is now changing how they order. Consumers no longer just want speed, they want shopping apps to think for them.”
— Enrico Ferigolli, omnichannel retail executive at Pick n Pay
Why Pick n Pay needs this now
Pick n Pay operates over 1,900 stores across South Africa and neighboring countries. But the company has struggled against Shoprite, which commands the largest market share in South African grocery retail. Checkers Sixty60, Shoprite's rapid delivery app, has become the benchmark for online grocery in the region.
Shoprite isn't standing still either. Earlier this year, it launched its own AI assistant focused on replenishment recommendations, new product suggestions, and personalized deals. The South African grocery market is becoming an AI battleground.
Ferigolli said Pick n Pay will introduce more AI-powered features in the coming months. The company's logic is straightforward: make ordering easier, and sales grow. "By helping customers, our sales will grow," he said.
The bigger picture for retail AI
Retailers globally are experimenting with generative AI to personalize recommendations, improve search, and reduce friction in online shopping. Large language models now enable conversational interactions that feel less like database queries and more like talking to a store assistant.
Pick n Pay chose Google's Gemini over competitors like OpenAI's GPT-4 or Anthropic's Claude. The choice likely reflects Google's enterprise partnerships in the region and Gemini's strong multimodal performance, particularly for image-to-text tasks like reading handwritten lists.
For other retailers considering similar implementations, the technical pattern here is worth noting: accept multiple input modalities, connect to product inventory, and output structured orders. The AI handles the translation layer between natural human expression and database-ready queries.
Logicity's Take
Pick n Pay's real play isn't the AI itself but the data flywheel it creates. Every voice note, every photographed recipe, every text prompt becomes training signal for understanding South African shopping patterns. Shoprite has scale. Pick n Pay is betting it can win on intelligence. The July 6 launch gives them a few months of real-world feedback before the holiday shopping season. Whether Penny drives material revenue growth depends less on the AI's capabilities and more on whether Pick n Pay's delivery logistics can match the orders it generates. AI can take the order; humans still have to fulfill it.
What this signals for emerging markets
South Africa represents an interesting test case for AI-powered retail. The market has smartphone penetration high enough to support app-based commerce, but infrastructure challenges that make last-mile delivery expensive. Voice and image inputs lower the barrier for customers who find typing cumbersome or who prefer communicating in languages with limited keyboard support.
Other emerging market retailers will watch Penny's adoption closely. If it works in South Africa, the playbook travels.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Pick n Pay's Penny AI assistant launch?
Penny launches July 6, 2025, according to Pick n Pay's announcement.
What AI model powers Pick n Pay's shopping assistant?
Penny runs on Google's Gemini AI models, which handle multimodal inputs including voice, text, and images.
Can Penny read handwritten shopping lists?
Yes. Customers can photograph handwritten shopping lists, and the AI parses the image to add items to their cart.
How does Penny compare to Shoprite's AI assistant?
Shoprite's AI focuses on replenishment recommendations and personalized deals. Penny emphasizes multimodal input, including voice, text, and photo-based ordering.
Does Penny support multiple languages?
Yes. Pick n Pay confirmed Penny works in multiple languages, important for South Africa's diverse linguistic landscape.
Need Help Implementing This?
If you're exploring conversational AI for retail or e-commerce, Logicity can help you evaluate vendors and architecture patterns. Reach out at hello@logicity.in.
Source: Tech-Economic Times / ET
Huma Shazia
Senior AI & Tech Writer
Produced with AI assistance and reviewed by the Logicity editorial team. Learn more in our Editorial Policy.
