South African Retail Giant Launches Gemini-Powered AI Shopping Assistant

South African retail giant Pick n Pay is turning to technology to differentiate itself amid fierce competition from rivals including Shoprite. The group, which generates more than 120 billion rand in annual revenue, is bringing generative artificial intelligence into its retail systems to replace conventional search with a multimodal conversational experience. The move marks an important milestone in the retail technology race and a significant example of generative AI being deployed at scale in the consumer market.

Pick n Pay announced on July 6, 2026, that it had launched “Penny,” an AI shopping assistant powered by Google’s Gemini model, in its asap! delivery app. Penny supports voice, text and image recognition. The group’s online revenue grew 37.6% in fiscal 2026, and the new feature allows shoppers to upload a handwritten list or a photo of their refrigerator to generate a shopping basket directly, significantly streamlining the ordering process.