Carrefour accelerates AI-enabled transformation to 2030, following Walmart’s strategic playbook
Supermarket giant Carrefour has unveiled a company-wide AI transformation plan that draws on lessons from competitors like Walmart, using artificial intelligence across supply chain, operations and customer engagement to boost efficiency and resilience.
According to reporting by Diginomica, Carrefour, one of Europe’s largest retail groups, is accelerating the adoption of AI across its business as part of a strategic transformation aimed at 2030.
Inspired in part by the AI-driven overhaul undertaken by Walmart in the US, Carrefour’s initiative is intended to reshape its logistics, pricing, forecasting and store operations to become more data-driven, efficient and responsive to consumer trends.
Key elements of Carrefour’s AI focus include supply chain optimisation, dynamic pricing and promotions, customer engagement, and store and back-office automation.
First, using AI to predict demand, manage inventories and reduce waste across national and regional networks. Then, algorithms adjust pricing based on real-time data to improve competitiveness and margin performance.
Personalised offers and recommendations powered by machine learning work to enhance loyalty and user experience. Finally, AI tools streamline staffing, task allocation, and routine merchandising processes.
The transformation plan emphasises enterprise data strategy as a foundation, from consolidating disparate data sources to deploying machine learning models that inform business decisions in near-real time.
Carrefour executives view AI not just as a set of point solutions, but as core to future competitiveness, citing early gains in forecasting accuracy and reduced waste.
Carrefour’s approach is part of a broader retail AI arms race in which large grocers leverage scale and data to drive efficiency and customer centricity, with Walmart often cited as a pioneer whose playbook demonstrates the strategic value of enterprise-wide AI.
The report also notes challenges ahead, such as aligning organisational culture, ensuring data quality and addressing privacy concerns around personalised offers.
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