Analysing how impatience impacts consumer behaviour in an online world
Lessons from pizza delivery can be transferred to any business that sells products online and relies upon delivery channels.
RETAIL TECH
Retailer Carrefour rolls out plan to digitise all its supermarkets
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2026
Partnership with retail tech company involves deployment of latest-generation electronic shelf labels, smart rails and AI-driven cameras.
Leading global food retailer Carrefour has signed a strategic partnership with Vusion, a specialist in digitalisation solutions for physical commerce, to digitise all its hypermarkets and supermarkets in France by 2030.
French-based Carrefour is well-known to African consumers through its supermarket presence in countries such as Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria, Gabon, DRC and Côte d’Ivoire.
The partnership covers the deployment of latest-generation electronic shelf labels, smart rails and AI-driven cameras with the aim of transforming operational efficiency and the in-store customer experience.
Photo: Allen Boguslavsky from Pexels
Vusion has recently been involved in a similar project for the giant Walmart retail group in the United States.
Taking a decisive step
In a statement, Carrefour says that by equipping its shelves with millions of smart labels connected to the cloud, it is taking a decisive step in the digitisation of its physical assets.
“This massive deployment positions Carrefour as the most advanced retailer in Europe in terms of store technology, echoing the transformation initiated in food retail with Vusion across the Atlantic. It follows successful pilots launched since June 2025,” the statement notes.
Among the objectives of the Carrefour 2030 plan are:
- Productivity: Automation of low value-added tasks to redeploy teams towards customer service, equipping them with smart data and AI-driven tools to guide priority actions and improve compliance.
- Customer Experience: Time savings, personalised services and real-time interaction for a smoother shopping journey.
- Sales: Reduction of out-of-stocks to maximise product availability.
Comments Alexandre Bompard, Chairman and CEO of Carrefour: “Carrefour 2030 is a growth plan that relies notably on accelerating tech and AI. By partnering with Vusion … we are propelling our stores into a new era. The digitalisation of our shelves is the essential foundation for deploying our vision of modern retail – serving competitiveness, quality of life at work for our employees, and customer satisfaction.”
Angola plans a multimodal logistics platform on border with DRC
The platform along the Lobito Corridor is expected to include warehouses, a fuel terminal, a mineral terminal and industrial areas.
AI won’t replace market research. But it will expose weak strategy
Much of the broader conversation around AI in market research assumes conditions that do not consistently exist across many African markets, writes Soyinka Witness.
AI search behaviour by SA consumers more than doubled in a year
Consumers are asking AI which retailer offers the best deal, comparing products or researching brands before visiting a website or store.
Port of Mombasa embraces integration and technology-driven solutions
Kenya Ports Authority is working to improve cargo flow and efficiency to support growing trade volumes at vital import-export gateway.
Brands must deliver sustainability through actions, not words
African consumers want ethical, responsible choices. Therefore, brand growth hinges on making sustainable choices affordable and relevant.
Africa’s next competitive advantage isn’t AI. It’s commercial capability
Examining the tech-hype trap and why human judgement, not technology, will pave the way to competitive advantage in Africa.
Former AGB Nielsen commercial lead Hopolang Mothibeli joins Ornico
Strategic senior appointment comes at a time when the local advertising-intelligence landscape is entering a period of significant change.
From inflation to consumption: West Africa’s FMCG turnaround
Ghana has shifted decisively into consumer-led recovery, with Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon following more gradually.
‘New direction’ for the integration of African marketing and business
AMC President discusses the upcoming conference’s ‘full circle’ and the gathering’s role in navigating marketing’s paradigm shift.
Retailers are re-engineering the checkout – and removing friction
Africa’s retail future may be led not by size, but by those who most effectively remove the friction between customer intent and transaction.