Thailand's Central Food Retail partners with Google Cloud to launch Tops Chef Bot
Thailand supermarket chain Central Food Retail Company Limited has partnered with Google Cloud to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) shopping assistant. Google Cloud said in a statement on Monday that the company has joined forces with Central Retail Digital and Google Cloud to develop and launch ‘Tops Chef Bot,’ a shopping assistant powered by generative AI (gen AI) to create a more customized and convenient shopping experience.
This intelligent shopping assistant, the first-of-its-kind in Thai supermarkets, integrates Google Cloud’s data analytics, gen AI, and enterprise search engine capabilities with Central Food Retail’s Personal Shopper service. It is designed to provide customers with a seamless, effortless shopping experience, transforming everyday meal planning into a streamlined and enjoyable process.
Pilot Program at Tops Food Hall, Central Chidlom
Tops Chef Bot will debut as a pilot program at Tops Food Hall, Central Chidlom. This marks the first step in a phased rollout, with plans to expand this service to all Tops branches nationwide in the near future.
“Since the successful launch of the Personal Shopper service in 2021, which enhanced the convenience and lifestyle of our customers, Tops has continued to innovate and develop cutting-edge retail solutions,” said Stephane Coum, Chief Executive Officer, Central Food Retail Group. He noted that powered by Google Cloud’s enterprise-grade gen AI, Tops Chef Bot offers unparalleled convenience and a more advanced, seamless shopping experience for their customers.
Enhancing the Retail Customer Experience
According to Annop Siritikul, Country Director, Thailand, Google Cloud, Central Retail has taken full advantage of their Vertex AI and BigQuery platforms to connect powerful AI models like Gemini 1.5 Flash to its diverse data sources, including inventory, product catalogs, curated recipes, and customer insights.
“With this initiative, we aim to set new benchmarks for the Thai retail industry, paving the way for a more innovative future,” he added.
Personalized Shopping Assistance
David Llamas, Group Chief Digital Officer, Central Retail Corporation, mentioned that the mission of Central Retail Digital is to drive the organization’s complete transformation in the digital era. This includes integrating BigQuery and Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s industry-leading platforms for data analytics and AI development, with their business processes to create a next-generation omnichannel platform, offering the most seamless and comprehensive experience for consumers in line with Central Retail’s CRC OMNI-Intelligence vision.
