To ensure customer and employee convenience, Maxima Latvija will continue to develop and introduce a range of latest technologies in stores this year, with investments totalling more than one million Euro over the course of the year. The varied solutions will help further the company’s digitalisation, automating processes and introducing new and user-friendly tools, which are particularly important to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Similarly, the network of self-service checkouts will be expanded both in Riga and elsewhere, and electronic price labels will be installed for customer and staff convenience. Meanwhile, to ensure effective management, strengthen cooperation, and make the shopping process more convenient during the state of emergency caused by COVID-19, the company has planned a range of digitalisation projects. These include helping to plan and manage opening hours, providing for a digital exchange of information within the company, and others.
“Clients are increasingly using the technological opportunities offered in stores, and they have rated them favourably. At the moment, in some Maxima stores, up to 40% of purchases are made using self-service checkouts and contactless services. This shows that technology has become a convenient, modern part of the everyday shopping experience. At the same time, it helps make employees’ jobs easier, increases the company’s productivity, and thus allows us to offer low prices, providing significant support to Latvian families. This year, with well-planned investments, we will expand our tried and tested innovations in stores, and soon we will announce even more new technological solutions allowing for faster, more convenient shopping,” explains Maxima Latvija CFO Valdis Zeps.
Maxima has been expanding its self-service checkouts in stores for the past 10 years. Meanwhile, since last year, artificial intelligence is supporting operations in the larger Maxima stores. These technologies supervise shelf stocking and notify employees, helping them to ensure that popular products are always available.
An identical approach is used at checkouts—if the number of people waiting surpasses a certain amount, the store manager receives a notification on their tablet to help them organise their work effectively and open more checkouts to ensure customers are served more quickly.
Meanwhile, electronic price labels make work easier for staff and provide clear, up-to-date, precise information to shoppers on several thousand products; these were first introduced to the Baltics a year ago by the Maxima XXX store at the Akropole shopping centre.
A digital system for automatically monitoring product sell-by dates has also been introduced into stores, helping to identify which produce is nearing its sell-by date and thus reducing the amount of food waste.
Information for the media:
Liene Dupate-Ugule
Head of Communications, SIA "Maxima Latvija"
Tel.: 26425420
