Artificial intelligence is moving beyond the hype cycle and into everyday consumer experiences, with grocery shopping emerging as one of the latest areas where AI is changing how people interact with technology.
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Three months after launching, Sixty60’s AI-powered shopping assistant Pixie has already been used by 98% of Xtra Savings Plus members, helping customers add more than four million products to their baskets through personalised recommendations and swipe-to-add functionality.
AI enters the grocery basket
Available exclusively to Xtra Savings Plus members, Pixie learns from customers’ shopping habits to understand what they are likely to need next and make repeat grocery orders easier.
Rather than searching for products individually, customers can use Pixie to quickly add items to their baskets, reducing the time spent scrolling through online grocery aisles.
The impact of this convenience is already reflected in customer behaviour. One shopper completed a grocery order worth more than R1,500 in just 15 seconds, adding 10 products to their basket using Pixie. The order arrived within 31 minutes, with the entire shopping journey, from opening the app to receiving groceries, completed in under an hour.
Personalisation reshapes online retail
Beyond speeding up individual purchases, Pixie’s adoption highlights the growing role of AI-powered personalisation in retail.
The platform’s most active user has added 730 products to their basket using Pixie’s swipe-down feature, with the items reaching a combined value of R36,236.
The technology is also contributing to higher average order values, suggesting that AI recommendations can influence how customers shop while creating additional value for retailers.
Making AI useful in everyday life
While AI has become a major focus across industries, its success among consumers often comes down to whether it can solve simple, everyday problems.
Neil Schreuder, chief of strategy and innovation at ShopriteX, says Pixie’s rapid uptake shows that customers are embracing technology when it delivers a practical benefit.
“Talking about AI is one thing, but AI that genuinely saves customers time is another,” says Schreuder.
“Every unnecessary tap, search and scroll that Pixie removes is friction taken out of the shopping experience. The more customers use it, the better it understands their shopping habits, making each shop simpler and more intuitive than the last.”
As AI becomes increasingly embedded into consumer platforms, tools like Pixie demonstrate how the technology is shifting from a futuristic concept into a practical part of everyday shopping.
