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Mid East Info
29-04-2025
- Business
- Mid East Info
RetailGPT: An AI-powered ally for UAE retailers
As Dubai plays host to the world's most forward-thinking minds at Dubai AI Week, RetailGPT, a generative AI Platform designed to bridge digital and physical retail, is showing how the sector can align with the country's tech-enabled transformation. A study of the retail market in the UAE shows that E-commerce, while growing rapidly, only represents about 15% of the market but is the primary driver of recent growth – a signal that UAE retailers must connect their digital and physical worlds to stay relevant, and RetailGPT is built to do just that. Backed by over 20 years of consumer behaviour data from tech solutions provider Pathfinder, RetailGPT turns shopper insights into action. The mobile-first platform uses Generative AI to help supermarkets personalise how they engage with customers – suggesting what they may want to see, buy, or return for, based on real patterns of behaviour. 'We're not here to replace retail's roots in the UAE, we're here to strengthen them. RetailGPT lets you know your customer better, wherever they are, whether they shop online or walk into your store,' said Sadique Ahmed, CEO of Pathfinder. The platform arrives at a time when Dubai is accelerating its mission to become a global AI powerhouse. RetailGPT brings this to life for supermarkets, large and small. It provides major players with tools to refine personalisation, and equips local favourites with the insights they need to compete in a digital-first era. As part of its regional rollout, RetailGPT is calling on UAE retailers to be among the first to adopt the platform and future-proof their customer experience strategies.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Retail has to be there both physically and digitally, says expert
'Retail has evolved over the years and the main driver is the consumer,' said Sadique Ahmed, CEO, Pathfinder at the Tamil Nadu Startup Summit 2025 that was organised by The Hindu along with SRM Institute of Science and Technology, and co-presented by StartupTN in association with Sify Technologies. In a conversation with John Xavier, Editor–Technology, The Hindu, on the topic 'Democratising Retail – How AI is empowering business of all sizes', Mr. Ahmed said that in retail, those who adapted and changed succeeded, while traditional retailers were struggling. 'The reason for suffering is the gap has widened now... unless something miraculously comes to their rescue... they would perish,' he said referring to the technological advancements happening in this particular sector. He explained how technology had improved and how one knew what the consumer would be buying during the weekend. He also pointed out that technology had evolved but the adoption was not there. 'This is purely because the availability of tech is limited or cost of embracing it is high and also there is a herd mentality like 'let somebody do it and then I'll follow',' he added. Noting that quick commerce had always been around, Mr. Ahmed said that neighbourhood stores were like quick commerce catering to neighbourhood needs and delivery at homes. 'But they lost because they did not keep up the pace. The new platforms understood that sitting in one place they can know what consumer wants,' he said. He also noted that most online platforms were also having a physical store now. ' experiential buying will never die. Phygital is the solution – Retail has to be there physically and digitally,' he said. He also touched upon how consumers were expecting rewards on their spends and how brands were chasing this trend.
