Carrefour, one of Europe’s largest food retailers, has announced a partnership with VusionGroup to launch a new generation of “connected” stores, based on EdgeSense and Captana technologies to digitalise shelves.
EdgeSense is a tech platform developed by VusionGroup that combines a smart rails system, computer vision (Captana), artificial intelligence (AI), electronic shelf labels and ultra-precise data. Carrefour believes it will reshape the in-store experience with four key objectives:
- Merchandising compliance, enabled by automated visual shelf monitoring
- Better on-shelf product availability through real-time monitoring and automatic stockout detection
- Automated price and label compliance
- Precise product geolocation to improve the customer journey and optimise in-store e-commerce picking
It is claimed that the innovations will reinvent the daily operations of store staff by equipping them with “smart decision tools” powered by data and AI that will identify the most urgent tasks to be performed in aisles (pricing, promotions, restocking, etc.) and guide them to execute these actions efficiently.
For consumers, the new generation of stores are expected to offer several benefits, including a smoother experience, time savings when searching for products, and personalised in-store services and recommendations.
The technologies are currently being tested in a Carrefour hypermarket in Villabé, France, where approximately 70,000 electronic shelf labels, 500 cameras, and 7,000 EdgeSense rails have been installed.
Carrefour has already been using VusionGroup’s shelf cameras that detect out-of-stock items in 35 stores.
“Digitalisation has long been at the heart of Carrefour’s strategy. Stores, which account for 90% of our revenue, are our top priority, and this partnership with VusionGroup marks a major milestone in their modernisation through the EdgeSense platform,” said Emmanuel Grenier, Executive Director of e-Commerce, Data and Digital Transformation at Carrefour.
“It enables us to turn the store into a digital asset central to our model, capable of combining operational excellence, enriched customer experience, and economic efficiency. Data precision, computer vision, and AI are essential levers to sustainably improve our in-store performance, especially in a context where every square meter counts.”
Thierry Gadou, Chairman and CEO of VusionGroup, added: “With Carrefour, we share the same vision of a modernised store at the heart of tomorrow’s omnichannel commerce. This partnership is about bringing that vision to life in the coming years. Carrefour is the first major food retailer in Europe to adopt EdgeSense technology, following Walmart’s decision to roll it out across its stores in the United States. The goal is threefold: to significantly improve store performance, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction.”
