"Crossroads" launched a pilot project to implement scales with AI

2024: Testing Smart Scales

The Perekrestok retail chain has launched a pilot project to introduce artificial intelligence scales to speed up the weighing of goods on self-service scales in the vegetable and fruit area, as well as to improve local inventory. The first "smart scales" have already appeared in 10 supermarkets in Moscow and the Moscow region. If successful, it is planned to scale the project to all Perekrestok supermarkets. X5 Group announced this on August 1, 2024.

According to the Kh5 Group, suspended vegetables, fruits and berries are found in every fourth check, and the share of sales of this category in the total turnover is 8.1% as of June 2024. On average, shoppers spend 12 to 15 seconds weighing weight items. The introduction of smart scales will presumably reduce this time to 8-10 seconds.

In addition, scales with artificial intelligence are equipped with computer vision, which is able to recognize any weight product even in a package, after which the name of the weighed product is automatically displayed on the screen. Thus, based on one supermarket, Perekrestok plans to reduce queues in the vegetable and fruit zone, increase the speed of weighing products and improve local inventory by 0.2%. In the future, the scales are planned to be provided with a monitoring system that will minimize the buyer's erroneous choice of goods.

Piloting scales with artificial intelligence will take place in 10 supermarkets of the retail chain. According to the results of testing, Perekrestok plans to achieve an accuracy indicator of product recognition of over 90%.

The category of fruits and vegetables is one of our focal and has over 250 different weight products. And to make the shopping process faster and more convenient for our customers, we made the decision to introduce AI scales into our supermarkets. This project is a continuation of our concept of doing business "Everything is for you! As for yourself, "which is based on sensitive attention to the needs of our customers, as well as an innovative technological approach to all internal processes of the company, - said Alexander Chukhontsev, director of business support and efficiency of the Perekrestok retail chain.

The main advantage of these scales is their laconicity and intuitive interface, as well as the high accuracy of determining weight products.

Scales with artificial intelligence is not the first X5 Group project to automate external processes. So, in 2020, in Perekrestok supermarkets, the company piloted loyalty scales that offered customers personalized discount coupons after weighing products. The results of the project formed the basis for the creation of an improved version of the scales.

Also in 2020, a device with artificial intelligence was introduced into the stores of the Pyaterochka retail chain in the existing weight platform, which made it possible to automatically determine the weighted product. The project passed pilot tests and demonstrated high economic indicators: the growth in turnover was + 0.78%, the cashier's working hours with weight goods decreased by 13%, and the level of satisfaction of employees with the new service was 14% instead of the planned 10%.