Lea Voice assistant

2018: Start of the voice assistant

On March 23, 2018 the French company Carrefour announced that it combined efforts with Google for creation of the voice online assistant to Lea within a new wave of promotion of digital technologies.

Google helped one of the world's largest retailers to create service thanks to the experience in project development of Google Assistant which is the main rival of Alexa — the voice assistant to Internet giant Amazon which in turn competes with Carrefour in the retail market. Financial terms of transaction of Carrefour with Google are not disclosed.

Carrefour states that Lea is urged to facilitate everyday life of clients as allows to manage lists of purchases on the websites and in applications using voice commands.

The voice assistant is ready to add any goods to cart on your command and also to provide you necessary information on the nearest shops — the addresses and working hours — or to lay a route, said in promotional materials of the company.

Besides, the user can find the recipe of preparation of any dish through Lea, and the voice assistant will issue the list of ingredients which need to be purchased in shop.

Carrefour started the voice assistant for visitors of magagzin

At the beginning of 2018 Carrefour announced plans to invest in digital trade 3 billion euros by 2022. Such "Napoleonic" plans are connected with growth of the competition from large online retailers, like Amazon.

One of solutions in the circumstances is entry of the company into the market of the Middle East which, according to PayFort, can grow to $69 billion by 2020. Carrefour within several years was expanded by network of the supermarkets in the Middle East and in North Africa. The Majid Al Futtaim trade consortium of Dubai is the exclusive owner of a brand of Carrefour in this region and in 2018 announced plans to open hundred new shops in Egypt.

However, so far it is unknown whether the new voice assistant to Lea in Arabic will be let out. By the end of March, 2018 service supports English.^[1]

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