A major Russian retailer announced the launch of innovative laboratories in supermarkets

X5 Group and Perekrestok have opened laboratories based on two Moscow supermarkets of the retail chain to introduce new digital technologies to improve the efficiency of operational processes and improve customer experience, the company's press service said.

"Innovation and technology are an integral part of modern business. Retail is no exception in this regard. We are actively implementing new solutions into our business processes and are fully open to working with external partners-technology providers and startups that improve the customer experience and the business as a whole. Our laboratories are platforms for quickly testing business hypotheses aimed at achieving operational and customer metrics, increasing retail turnover, as well as for finding insights and choosing the optimal target technology," commented Sergey Andreev, Director of Innovation at X5 Group.

Currently, four types of new technologies are being tested in laboratories — CV (computer vision), Bluetooth beacons, IoT (Internet of Things) and audio tags. All aspects are investigated: from the level of temperature and indoor air quality to the courtesy of the staff in dealing with customers.

"The Perekrestok retail chain has already established itself as an innovative and technological leader in the supermarket segment. The goal of the labs is to continue improving the customer experience with cutting—edge technology. We are digitalizing the store's space as much as possible in order to identify insights and very quickly implement and scale proven technologies," said Alexander Chukhontsev, Director of Business Support and Efficiency at the Perekrestok retail chain.