Dubai is always pushing the boundaries when it comes to delivering unique shopping experiences, and a new store in Mall of the Emirates is certainly living up to this reputation. Carrefour City+, launched by Majid Al Futtaim on Monday, is the first cashier-free store in the region.
The store has no checkout counters. Instead, customers use their phones to access the store, and once they pick up what they’re looking for, they can leave. No staff interaction, no queues and no awkward digging around for coins in wallets and purses required.
Payment for the products is done through the MAF Carrefour app, which customers will have to download before they enter. Every item picked up by the store is then automatically added to a digital shopping basket, and the purchase is completed simply by walking out.
You can view the shopping process through this video below.
The store currently stocks more than 1,300 items such as snacks, beverages, packaged food and food-to-go meals, as well as essentials.
How does Carrefour City+ work?
Carrefour City+ uses a series of cameras that are powered by a combination of computer vision and machine learning to follow a shopper’s movement inside the store. These cameras use tracking technology to identify shoppers through their body structure, and do not record any facial recognition or biometric data.
It is all linked to the individual account on the MAF Carrefour app and the cameras help detect when a shopper picks up or puts down a product, so that their virtual baskets are automatically updated. Once the shopper leaves the store, the total amount of their basket is automatically charged to their registered card and a digital receipt is sent through the app.
Majid Al Futtaim has confirmed that staff will be available at the store to help customers find items on the shelves and address queries or concerns. Currently, the store will allow only 10 shoppers in at one time owing to Covid-19 safety regulations. Shoppers who try to generate a QR code to enter the store when it is at its full capacity will be notified by the app and asked to wait until another shopper leaves.
“Carrefour City+ has been designed to make life easier by using technology to remove friction and enhance the retail experience,” says Hani Weiss, chief executive of Majid Al Futtaim Retail. “The store represents a huge leap forwards for retail in the UAE and region as Carrefour continues to innovate to meet the needs of the present whilst anticipating future shopping trends.”
While many stores offer checkout-free or scan-and-go services, this technology may represent the next step in the region's retail shopping experience, given a push for contactless and cashless processes because of the pandemic.
Although this is a first-of-its-kind in the region, cashier-less stores aren't new. Amazon has been leading the fray with a series of automated convenience stores under the Amazon Go brand in the US. It does this by using "Just Walk Out" technology, a series of sensors and cameras to track what products are being removed from shelves, adding them to a virtual shopping trolley and charging customers accordingly. In February 2020, it opened its first full-fledged cashier-less grocery store in Seattle, with the sprawling space selling everything from meat and seafood to household items.
Brands such as Walmart and 7-Eleven have also been testing out the experience.
Carrefour City+ is located on the first floor of Mall of the Emirates, near the Metro station link. It is open daily from 9am to midnight.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
Fatherland
Kele Okereke
(BMG)
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