Shoprite adds AI-powered shopping assistant to checkers Sixty60 app to predict and suggest grocery orders

Pixie draws on each customer's purchase history to recommend products and relevant promotions, with a swipe-based interface designed to reduce the time spent browsing

Shoprite Group has introduced an artificial intelligence feature called Pixie to its Checkers Sixty60 grocery delivery app. The tool functions as a built-in shopping assistant that analyses a customer's previous orders to suggest items they are likely to need, surfaces relevant promotions based on individual buying patterns and presents recommendations through a swipe-based interface.

Sixty60 is Shoprite's on-demand grocery delivery service, launched in 2019 and now operating with scheduled one-hour delivery windows. The platform has expanded beyond groceries to include household and lifestyle products. Digital sales through Sixty60 grew 34.6% in the six months to December.

Pixie is built on Shoprite's internal data infrastructure, which tracks shopping behaviour over time to refine its recommendations. The feature introduces a smart basket interface where users can swipe to browse suggestions, swipe up to remove an item or swipe down to add it to their basket. Promotions surfaced by the tool are matched to each user's buying habits rather than drawn from a general promotional pool.

The feature was developed by Shoprite's internal technology division and will initially be available to Xtra Savings Plus members before a broader rollout. The company said future versions of Pixie could include automatic reordering of frequently purchased items and meal planning functionality based on a customer's budget or available pantry stock.

"Pixie is like a little friend, assisting each customer quietly in the background, making shopping and saving effortless. Shopping used to be something you did. But now, it's something Pixie, your personalised shopping assistant, handles for you," said Neil Schreuder, chief strategy and innovation officer at Shoprite.