Carrefour will open an innovative testing lab in Paris in collbaoration with Google Cloud where Carrefour engineers can work side-by-side with Google Cloud AI experts to co-create new consumer experiences online.
Carrefour and Google have recently announced a strategic partnership focusing on three initiatives: availability of Carrefour on a new Google shopping website and Google Assistant in France, creation of a Carrefour-Google innovation lab and digitization acceleration of the Carrefour Group.
This partnership will take Googles' technology and skills in AI, cloud, and new consumer shopping interfaces like the Google Assistant with Carrefours' product expertise and know-how in logistics and sales.
The shared objective of this partnership is to combine the expertise of both companies to offer consumers new and innovative commerce experiences in France, whether that’s in a store, online, on smartphones, or with voice.
The partnership is based on three initiatives:
1) A new buying experience from Carrefour across Google platforms (Assistant, Google Home and a new experience on the Google Shopping website in France), expanding the Carrefour foot print in the digital world. The common aim for both companies is to provide users with simple and intuitive buying experiences. By the first quarter of 2019, users in France will be able to shop for groceries through a variety of channels including on Google Home, via the Google Assistant on their mobile phone, or on the Web through the new Google shopping destination in France. Items can be delivered to their homes or available for pick up in-store.
2) The opening of an innovative test lab in Paris this summer in partnership with Google Cloud where Carrefour engineers will work side-by-side with Google Cloud AI experts to co-create new consumer experiences.
3) A training program to accelerate the digital transformation of Carrefour Group. The initiative, which has been in progress since the beginning of the year, intends to incorporate a culture of quick decision-making and agility within the group. In this context, more than a thousand employees of Carrefour will be trained with the support of Google Cloud in six months. Carrefour will deploy Google Cloud’s G Suite productivity and collaboration solutions (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Hangouts, Docs, etc.) to more than 160,000 Carrefour employees; and the use of Google Cloud Platform infrastructure will be accelerated.