As part of our Retail Technology report, ESM reached out to leading retail executives to get their perspectives on several salient topics when it comes to digital transformation – including Arnaud Lesne, Director, Innovation And Partnership, Carrefour Belgium. This article first appeared in ESM's March/April 2024 edition.
Carrefour Belgium recently unveiled a new autonomous micro-store concept, Carrefour Buy Bye, developed in association with Reckon.AI, with which it will seek to tap into opportunities beyond traditional retail. “Our plan for 2024 is to deploy between three to five Buy Bye stores,” says Arnaud Lesne, director of innovation and partnership with Carrefour Belgium, who says that the new concept is ideal for time-pressed shoppers.
To what degree do you think that artificial intelligence and machine learning will influence the retail industry over the coming years?
I think that AI will influence each retail department – it’s already the case. For example, after this summer, we will launch two innovations, and both of these are fully AI.
What challenges, if any, do you anticipate for retailers in terms of integrating new technologies into their operations?
The challenge is very easy to understand. Our consumers have really changed their way of consuming and their way of life during the past four years – during COVID times and after – thanks to the new technology in their smartphones: new services, new ways of delivery, etc.
We have to listen to our consumers and to challenge ourselves each day, to be sure to keep our quart d’heure d’avance – ‘always keep a quarter-hour ahead’ – in order to be at the heart of our consumers.
