FairPrice Group has expanded its multi-year collaboration with Google Cloud to roll out new agentic AI solutions designed to redefine customer experiences and improve workforce efficiency. The initiative, launched under the retailer’s Store of Tomorrow programme, introduces a suite of AI assistants at the newly opened FairPrice Finest outlet in Punggol Digital District.
Elevating the shopping experience with AI
The collaboration builds on FairPrice Group’s earlier efforts to integrate digital technologies into retail. Using Google Cloud’s Agent Development Kit and open standards such as the Model Context Protocol, the company has deployed AI-powered assistants that make shopping more intuitive. At the Punggol Digital District store, customers can interact with smart shopping and wellness assistants, among others, while employees gain access to AI tools that streamline everyday tasks.
Vipul Chawla, Group Chief Executive Officer at FairPrice Group, said: “At FairPrice Group, our purpose is simple: to make every day a little better for our customers. Our collaboration with Google Cloud and the launch of our Store of Tomorrow are testament to this commitment. The new AI-powered tools, from the smart shopping assistant to the personalised wellness assistant, are designed to make a shopper’s journey more seamless and intuitive.”
Thomas Kurian, Chief Executive Officer of Google Cloud, added: “FPG’s use of these technologies—extending from the storefront to the back office—is an incredible example of how AI is driving innovation across every customer touchpoint and corner of the enterprise.”
Smart Carts and personalised recommendations
One of the main innovations is the enhanced Smart Cart, which now features a multimodal shopping assistant accessible through an integrated tablet. Customers can converse with the assistant to receive product recommendations and recipe suggestions. The system is powered by several AI agents, including Google Cloud’s speech recognition model Chirp 2 and the Gemini API. It can, for example, recommend ingredients and complementary products for dishes such as yam paste, while confirming which items are available in-store.
Smart Carts are already active at FairPrice Finest outlets in Punggol Digital District and Sengkang Grand Mall, and will be rolled out at Thomson Plaza later this year. FairPrice Group is also piloting Vertex AI Search for Commerce to improve search relevance, even for non-English queries and local dialect terms such as “orh nee” for yam paste or “cai poh” for preserved radish.
Specialised agents for wellness and wine
The new store also offers AI-driven tools for specific customer needs. At Unity pharmacy within the Punggol outlet, a wellness assistant provides personalised health advice based on body composition analysis and health goals, using data from Tanita body composition analysers alongside Google Cloud’s Gemini API. The assistant generates tailored meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists.
Meanwhile, a digital wine sommelier uses NFC-enabled shelf labels to help shoppers choose wines by taste, price, origin, or occasion. Customers can access tasting notes, food pairings, and comparisons directly on their phones, creating a more interactive and informed shopping experience.
Empowering employees with AI tools
FairPrice Group is extending AI benefits to its workforce through Google Agentspace, a unified platform that allows organisations to build and deploy AI agents at scale. Employees can access ready-made and custom-built agents, use no-code design tools, and automate complex tasks. For example, the company’s price and promotion teams are using a creative agent powered by Google Cloud’s Imagen and Veo models to generate promotional visuals and copy, reducing production costs and time significantly.
Mark Micallef, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Google Cloud, said: “FPG is leading the way in deploying agentic AI in the retail sector. This move underscores their commitment to enhancing customer value and experiences, while empowering their teams to drive innovation from within.”
With these tools, FairPrice Group aims to accelerate the development of AI-driven workflows across areas such as customer service, human resources, and store operations. The expanded collaboration highlights how AI is being used not only to improve shopping but also to support employees and enhance operational efficiency.
