Pick n Pay is taking a major step into the future of digital retail with the launch of Penny, an artificial intelligence-powered grocery shopping assistant integrated into its asap! delivery platform.
Powered by Google’s Gemini large language models, Penny allows customers to shop using natural conversation instead of traditional product searches. Whether through voice commands, text prompts or even photographs, the assistant helps shoppers build grocery baskets faster and more intuitively.
The rollout begins in July 2026, and positions Pick n Pay at the forefront of South Africa’s rapidly evolving AI-powered retail landscape.
Shopping becomes as simple as having a conversation
Rather than scrolling through hundreds of products or navigating categories, customers can simply tell Penny what they need.
The assistant can:
- Build shopping baskets from conversational requests.
- Recommend meals and recipes.
- Generate shopping lists.
- Suggest product alternatives.
- Work within a customer’s budget.
- Read handwritten shopping lists.
- Identify groceries from uploaded photos.
- Accept voice notes and text commands.
For example, a customer planning a pasta dinner can ask Penny what ingredients are needed, receive recipe suggestions and have every required product automatically added to their basket. Customers can even photograph the contents of their fridge and ask Penny to recommend meals using ingredients they already have.
A smarter grocery companion
According to Enrico Ferigolli, Retail Executive for Omnichannel at Pick n Pay, the retailer believes grocery shopping is entering a new era.
“We’re moving from search-and-scroll shopping to conversation-led shopping that makes buying groceries faster, smarter and far more intuitive.”
He says that while retailers have spent years competing on delivery speed, the next opportunity is making shopping itself effortless.
“For years, the focus has been on faster delivery. The next disruption is removing the effort from shopping itself.”
Built on Google’s Gemini AI
Penny is built using Google Gemini, Google’s multimodal AI platform capable of understanding text, voice and images.
Instead of accessing Pick n Pay’s systems directly, Gemini works alongside secure APIs connected to:
- Pick n Pay’s product catalogue
- Smart Shopper loyalty programme
- Customer order history
- Curated retail content
This allows Penny to deliver personalised recommendations while helping customers complete shopping tasks more efficiently.
Kabelo Makwane, Country Director for Google South Africa, says AI is evolving beyond simple search.
“AI is moving beyond simply answering questions to helping people get things done.”
He added that multimodal AI allows technology to adapt naturally to the way people communicate.
Learning customer preferences
One of Penny’s biggest strengths is personalisation.
Over time, the assistant learns:
- Favourite brands
- Frequently purchased products
- Shopping habits
- Budget preferences
- Previous orders
This enables increasingly relevant recommendations and shopping suggestions during future visits. Pick n Pay says additional AI-powered capabilities will be introduced as the platform continues to evolve.
Entering the AI grocery race
Penny’s launch comes shortly after Checkers Sixty60 introduced its own AI assistant, Pixie, highlighting how artificial intelligence is becoming the next competitive battleground in South African grocery retail. While both assistants use AI to improve shopping, their focus differs. Pick n Pay has positioned Penny as a conversational shopping companion that understands context and responds naturally to customer requests. Meanwhile, Pixie focuses more heavily on predictive shopping and personalised recommendations based on previous buying behaviour.
Digital investments are paying off
The AI launch builds on Pick n Pay’s major digital transformation completed in 2025, when the retailer rebuilt its online ecosystem to combine grocery shopping, Smart Shopper rewards and other services into a single platform. The investment is already delivering results.
According to Pick n Pay’s latest financial results:
- Online turnover grew 32.7% on a like-for-like basis during the 2026 financial year.
- On-demand delivery services, including asap! and Pick n Pay on Mr D, increased 37.6% year-on-year.
These figures demonstrate growing consumer demand for convenient digital grocery shopping.
A glimpse into the future of retail
Penny represents more than just another app feature. It signals a broader shift in how retailers think about customer experience. Instead of simply delivering groceries faster, supermarkets are increasingly focused on reducing the effort required before customers even reach the checkout. As conversational AI becomes part of everyday life, shopping may soon feel less like browsing an online catalogue and more like chatting with a knowledgeable personal assistant. For Pick n Pay, Penny could become one of the retailer’s most significant competitive advantages as South Africa’s grocery sector enters its next phase of digital innovation.
