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Straits Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
FairPrice trials smart trolleys in digital push to create stores of tomorrow
In May, FairPrice began trials of the new Smart Carts – digitally decked-out trolleys that offer in-store navigation, personalised recommendations, and allow shoppers to check out without queueing at cashier counters. SINGAPORE – For a few weeks now, some shoppers at FairPrice Finest in Sengkang Grand Mall have been using trolleys mounted with touchscreens and barcode scanners. The digitally decked-out trolleys offer in-store navigation and personalised recommendations, and let shoppers check out without queueing at cashier counters. Meet Smart Carts, which began trials in May in the Sengkang outlet. The trolleys and several other digital in-store fittings are part of a Store of Tomorrow initiative that FairPrice unveiled at the National Retail Federation's Big Show Asia Pacific 2025, which is being held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre from June 3 to 5. Mr Vipul Chawla, FairPrice Group chief executive, told The Straits Times that a budget 'in the millions' has been allocated to pilot more than 20 new technologies annually over the next three years till 2028 to enhance the supermarket's omnichannel shopping experience. The budget also covers recently hired software engineers and data scientists as it seeks to reinvent itself digitally to deepen its engagement of millions of shoppers in Singapore. 'In 2022, the management team and I looked at where the points of friction were. Then we worked it back-to-front to see how we could use technology and training to make the whole interaction seamless,' said Mr Chawla , who succeeded Mr Seah Kian Peng to helm Singapore's largest supermarket chain that year. Processes earmarked for change include store navigation, promotion alerts, product recommendation and payment. Many of FairPrice's 164 supermarkets currently feature self-checkout counters, the Scan & Go function on the FairPrice app, as well as ample signage to guide shoppers to promotion items and store sections. Still, staff often spend time giving directions to customers and verifying Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) cards for discounts. Customers also often inquire about items on promotion while standing in line at payment counters. These tasks are manual and time-consuming. 'Shopping is as much an experience as it is a transaction. We can make that experience more fun, engaging and interactive,' Mr Chawla said. Come August, when FairPrice opens its latest supermarket in Punggol Digital District, it will test the Smart Carts on a larger scale compared with the 10 trolleys currently on trial in its Sengkang outlet. Digital price and promotion labels and smart store cameras will also be featured in the new supermarket to improve the shopping experience. Smart trolleys are being used by an increasing number of overseas grocery retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Kroger. Many provide similar functions, including payment processing. To use the FairPrice Smart Carts, shoppers must unlock them with the Pay/Earn QR code on their FairPrice app. The cart's display is personalised, as the system has access to the user's past purchases to provide product recommendations and promotion alerts. A search feature on the trolley's touchscreen – complete with an in-store map and navigation instructions – helps shoppers to find what they are looking for. Sensors in the cart detect items on offer as shoppers browse the aisles and flash the promotion on screen. Sensors in the cart detect items on offer as shoppers browse the aisles and flash the promotion on screen. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY Shoppers can use the built-in scanner on the trolley's handle bar to add items before putting them in the trolley, which has a weight sensor to tally the goods. Checkout is done by tapping the touchscreen and the purchases are reflected on the FairPrice app. If the weight of the item added to the trolley does not match what was just scanned, a light sensor on the cart will flash orange to alert staff, who will conduct random checks when customers return the trolleys. 'This is well beyond self-checkout. Your whole shopping is done in your own shopping cart,' said Mr Chawla, noting that FairPrice's self-checkout services islandwide now process more than half of total store transactions. Civil servant Phua Cheng Hua, 60, who frequents the Sengkang outlet, likes the convenience of the Smart Carts. 'This saves me a lot of time by eliminating the need to queue for payment,' he said. For added convenience, FairPrice is urging customers to update their profile on the app following an upgraded integration with MyInfo, the Government's data vault on citizens and permanent residents. This will allow the app to capture shoppers' Chas card details for discounts to be automatically applied for online purchases and at self-checkout counters. This automation will be live by the end of 2025. Without the MyInfo profile update, Chas discounts can be applied only at cashier-manned counters as card verification is needed. 'With the MyInfo profile update, you don't have to worry about which day to use which card if your family has several of them. The system will do the thinking and apply the appropriate card,' said Mr Chawla. Also coming are in-store digital promotion and price labels. These are becoming increasingly common among grocery retailers as they free up the time that staff spend on printing and changing physical labels. FairPrice plans to roll out digital labels across its 164 supermarkets over the next 36 months if the pilot in Punggol Digital District is successful. As store space is limited, an Endless Aisle experiment will let store shoppers scan a QR code on electronic shelf labels to be directed to a full catalogue on the FairPrice app. Consumers can complete their purchases and schedule a delivery on the app. Existing in-store CCTV cameras will also be upgraded with video analytics to alert staff when items on shelves need replenishing, more registers have to be opened to manage long queues, or liquid spills require clean-up. Existing in-store CCTV cameras will be upgraded with video analytics. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY Commenting on unmanned 'just walk-out' stores that were hailed as the future of retail, Mr Chawla said: 'There's no warmth.' The unmanned format works only for convenience stores, similar to some of FairPrice's Cheers outlets in certain places such as universities and the armed forces, he added. Even as FairPrice tries out digital tools islandwide, the retailer is mindful of its social mission not to leave anyone behind. Its staff – many of whom are middle-aged or elderly – have undergone training to help customers who might have dementia, or serve as digital ambassadors. 'So the nature of the work changes a little bit, but hopefully the customer experience becomes less clunky,' said Mr Chawla. 'Seven in 10 Singaporeans still like to visit a physical store.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
28-04-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
GE2025: SDP calls for nationalising mental health care, universal healthcare at Woodlands rally
SDP's deputy head of policy James Gomez put forth the party's proposals at the rally at Woodlands Stadium on April 28. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG SINGAPORE – The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is calling for mental health to be a critical component of the national healthcare system, in a bid to stem a 'deepening mental health crisis' in Singapore. Its deputy head of policy James Gomez put forth the opposition party's proposals at the SDP rally for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC at Woodlands Stadium on April 28. These include formal mental health leave, increasing financial support for caregivers, expanding green spaces, a nationwide mental health education campaign to encourage people to seek help early, and building community wellness centres. '(The) bulk of mental health services are mostly in the private sector, and are unaffordable for ordinary Singaporeans,' Dr Gomez said, pointing out that 22 ( out of Singapore's 26) polyclinics offer mental health services, while there are more than 100 private clinics addressing mental health. As a result, he said many Singaporeans have 'no option but to seek costly private options they simply cannot afford, or avoid mental health care altogether'. The SDP candidate for Sembawang GRC pointed out five root causes of mental health issues in Singapore – 'uncontrolled' immigration, fierce competition for jobs due to foreign labour, rising cost of living, cyber bullying, and the burden of caregiving placed on working adults. He added that SDP's policy proposals in these areas lay the groundwork for addressing the root causes of mental health issues. Also on the healthcare front, SDP chairman Paul Tambyah reiterated his call for universal healthcare, which the party detailed in its manifesto. SDP has proposed a 'single-payer system', leading Health Minister Ong Ye Kung to call on the party to clarify its policy. Mr Ong said on April 26 that such a system would either mean relying on government subsidies and abolishing national health insurance scheme MediShield Life, or relying purely on national health insurance and doing away with subsidies. Singapore's current framework for healthcare payments uses a combination of subsidies, MediShield Life, MediSave – a mandatory medical savings scheme – and MediFund, a financial assistance scheme. At the rally – the party's fifth in six days of hustings – Professor Tambyah said that subsidies would not be needed in a single-payer system, which would mean 'huge savings'. Based on the party's proposal, every citizen would have a national health insurance card and pay a fixed premium out of their Central Provident Fund savings, said Prof Tambyah, adding that programmes like the Community Health Assist Scheme and Pioneer Generation and Merderka Generation schemes would be merged to 'cut wasteful duplication'. Other speakers called on voters to cast their ballots for the SDP as a check on the ruling PAP. Referencing the scuppered Income-Allianz deal, which came under public scrutiny after questions were raised about Income Insurance's ability to continue its social mission after the sale to the German insurer, another SDP candidate for Sembawang GRC, Ms Surayah Akbar, said there was no transparency and consultation with stakeholders. 'Unchecked power is reckless. The PAP's idea of accountability is, 'don't worry, we supervise ourselves'. It's no different to students marking their own exams and rewarding themselves with F1 and Taylor Swift concert tickets,' said Ms Surayah. Multiple SDP candidates also sought to assure voters that estate and infrastructure upgrading works would not be affected should the opposition be voted in. Sembawang GRC candidate Damanhuri Abas referenced the manifestos and town plans that have been rolled out in various GRCs. He said: '(The PAP) gives you five-year town plans that are actually routine works of the URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) and HDB – non-partisan government agencies – timed perfectly for the election.' Inequality also emerged as a theme of the night, with multiple candidates making references to the 'privileged elite'. Party secretary-general Chee Soon Juan, who is contesting Sembawang West SMC, listed more than 10 foreigners who had purchased multimillion-dollar properties such as good class bungalows (GCBs) here, as well as PAP ministers who live in or who have sold their GCBs. SDP secretary-general Chee Soon Juan speaking at Woodlands Stadium during the party rally on April 28. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG 'When billionaires come in by the hundreds and snap up expensive properties in Singapore, they raise land prices. And when land prices go up, they drive up property prices and the cost of living for us,' he said. He added that while generational wealth can be accrued through the transfer of freehold properties, Housing Board flats must be returned to the HDB at the end of their 99-year lease. 'As the PAP keeps stoking the spectre of race and religion that will split our society, it is the widening inequality between the rich and the rest of us that will tear our society apart,' he said. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
24-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
GE2025: Singapore United Party proposes price cap on resale flats in manifesto
SINGAPORE - The opposition Singapore United Party (SUP) is calling for a price ceiling on resale Housing Board flats, in order to make quality housing accessible to Singaporeans. It has also said that primary school education should be made free for all local children, and more flexibility should be accorded to workers to withdraw their CPF retirement sums. These were among the key proposals in the SUP's 20-page manifesto, which was released to the media on April 24. The party is making its electoral debut in the upcoming May 3 polls. The relatively young party formed in 2020 is contesting just one constituency - Ang Mo Kio GRC - in the general election. It faces the PAP, led by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and the People's Power Party in a three-cornered fight. The SUP's slate includes secretary-general Andy Zhu and Ms Noraini Yunus, who both contested in the GRC under the Reform Party banner in the 2020 General Election. The others on the team are party chairman Ridhuan Chandran, flight attendant Nigel Ng, and businessman Vincent Ng. In its manifesto, the SUP sought rectification of the problems that, it said, get in the way of creating a more inclusive country. These include 'inflexible withdrawal limits on the CPF retirement fund... exorbitant resale HDB prices and steep medical costs'. It said that HDB flats have consistently shrunk in size over the years, and argued that public housing is no longer affordable, with recent transactions crossing $1 million. 'We therefore propose that a price ceiling be enforced on resale HDB flats instead of allowing the free flow of market forces to dictate the price,' it said. The party did not specify what this cap should be. In terms of CPF funds, SUP said that the retirement sum 'can be made to work better in the hands of savvy individuals who should not be penalised for the mismanagement of others', and called for the government to provide more liberty for Singaporeans to manage their wealth. On healthcare costs, it proposed that the government introduce free medical care to those aged 14 and younger, 'so as to lighten the financial burden on families, and in the long run, our nation'. For seniors, despite subsidies such as those under the Merdeka Package and the Community Health Assist Scheme, healthcare costs are still an issue for many who no longer receive a stable income, said SUP. 'We would like to urge the government to relook at the health care model and possibly extend free medical care to those aged 67 and above.' Primary education should be made free for all local children, so that they start on an equal footing and the financial burden on lower-income households can be eased, said the party. Cost of living concerns have been central to many opposition parties' proposals in this election. For one, the Singapore Democratic Party, in its manifesto unveiled on April 20, had called for new flats to be sold for between $90,000 and $270,000. Mr Zhu said previously that the SUP's manifesto will be shaped by feedback from residents. This election, the SUP is campaigning on a slogan of Moving Forward, Together. Ang Mo Kio is the largest electoral division, with 161,235 registered voters. In 2020, the RP team that included Mr Zhu and Ms Noraini secured 28.09 per cent of the vote in Ang Mo Kio GRC against the PAP, led by then Prime Minister Lee. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
