EROSKI has launched Eroski Smart Shop, an innovative solution that allows you to make your purchase through WhatsApp using artificial intelligence and receive it at home in about an hour. The cooperative has launched a pilot experience in Bilbao to test this conversational, agile and personalized shopping model. With this launch, EROSKI advances its innovation strategy applied to the shopping experience, integrating technology into people’s everyday channels to offer simpler, faster and more personalized solutions.

It is the first proposal in Spain with these characteristics and is currently being tested in 9 own stores that Eroski has in the Vizcaya capital. The pilot will be developed for a year with the aim of measuring the acceptance of the service and optimizing the experience before its possible expansion.

The system allows the customer to make the purchase through a natural conversation by text or audio, as if talking with a person, and also allows to enter images, such as, for example, a photo of the shopping list. The system interprets its need and automatically generates a complete proposal of products ready for validation and payment. It also proposes menus and recipes adapted to the preferences, nutritional needs and budget of each user. The transaction ends with the payment on the quick commerce platform and with the delivery of the order at home within an approximate period of one hour.

“We want to make the purchase as simple as sending a message or engaging in a conversation. We do it, in addition, through an application that is already part of the daily life of any person“Explains Aitor Zuburruti, coordinator of innovation in retail, digital transformation & AI, new business models and customer experience of EROSKI. “In line with its commitment to saving, EROSKI offers by default the most economical option when the application is generic. However, if the customer indicates a specific brand, the system selects that specific product, even if it is not the cheapest, being able to adjust the choice in the conversation itself.” Add it.

 

New trends in consumer and retail habits

Eroski Smart Shop was born as a response to a structural change in consumption habits and in the food retail itself where convenience and immediacy have become minimum expectations.

An analysis carried out by CNBC Internacional shows that 81% of food sales are already influenced by digital channels (search, planning, repurchase), although the purchase is finalized in different channels. And according to NielsenIQ, the main reason to choose digital channels in food is the saving of time, far above the price or variety. To this is added that the quick commerce presents double-digit annual growth in European markets of the south and west, with high recurrence in food.

On the other hand, WhatsApp exceeds 3 billion monthly active users globally, being the dominant messaging platform in more than 100 countries. Even more than 50% of people over 60 in Europe use WhatsApp on a regular basis, making it a key digital inclusion channel.

This launch puts Eroski at the forefront of key industry trends such as personalization, the use of AI and the integration of services into everyday platforms.