Żabka signs strategic partnership with Microsoft in the area of AI

Żabka signs strategic partnership with Microsoft in the area of AI

Żabka is expanding its long-standing cooperation with Microsoft in the field of innovation, focusing on dynamic acceleration of growth based on artificial intelligence. The strategic partnership agreement aims to strengthen the development of the chain using AI in four key areas: store efficiency, international growth, internal transformation, and data analytics responding to customer needs. Żabka, which is a leader in technological transformation, will be the first retail organization in Central Eastern Europe to work together with Microsoft among others on the use of an intelligent assistant to support the work of as many as 2,500 employees.

“Digital transformation is one of the strategic pillars of the Żabka Group. The knowledge we derive, for example, from data analysis, allows us to expand our convenience ecosystem and increase its operational excellence. Thanks to the partnership with Microsoft, we are ahead of trends in the retail market also in terms of the use of AI. We see a very high potential for development in this area. Artificial intelligence is already helping us minimize customer service time, make it easier for our franchisees to run their businesses, allow us to better select the assortment for stores and personalize the offer for customers,” says Tomasz Suchański, CEO of Żabka Group.

The cooperation involves not only the implementation of new services and solutions, but also support for the transformation of the organizational culture towards AI. This means even greater openness to learning new competences and exchanging knowledge in the field of the latest technologies.

“Żabka is a pioneer in the retail industry. From the very beginning of our partnership, they’ve been at the forefront of retail innovation leveraging the power of AI to deliver new consumer experiences and strengthen their position as a leader in both Polish and European retail markets. In this new era of AI, strong partnerships are not only important to drive continued innovation but also do so in a way that’s responsible and fosters trust. I’m proud of our longstanding partnership with Żabka and look forward to our continued cooperation”- says Shelley Bransten, Corporate Vice President, Global Industry Solutions at Microsoft.

The long-term cooperation between Żabka and Microsoft has already resulted in many strategic solutions for the development of the industry based on the most innovative technologies – from the vision of the store of the future presented jointly six years ago to the presentation of the Żabka Nano concept in New York during the largest retail conference in the world – NRF 2023 Retail’s Big Show. Żabka was one of the few companies from Europe that received an invitation from Microsoft to participate in this prestigious event and present its innovations.

AI has revolutionized the shopping experience by making it as easy as opening a fridge. It has allowed the development of Żabka Nano autonomous stores where customers can simply take products from the shelves and leave, and payment is collected automatically. The first Żabka Nano store was established in June 2021 in Poznan. Currently, the Żabka Group manages the leading network of autonomous stores in Europe, with 50 outlets. Żabka has been a pioneer of innovation for years – the company was the first retailer in Europe to implement Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, created the largest Azure Marketplace in Central Europe and has long invested in solutions based on artificial intelligence.

Retail of the future “here and now”

The strategic partnership between the two companies means intensive cooperation in the area of using artificial intelligence to automate processes, optimize logistics and assortment, and better understand and meet customer needs. The partners will also work together to develop innovative services and products for consumers, business partners and local communities, using AI-generated data and analytics. Żabka and Microsoft will also take care of improving the AI competences of Żabka employees through training, workshops and mutual knowledge sharing.

Żabka is an AI pioneer

As part of the partnership, Żabka Polska will be the first company in Poland to provide 2,500 of its employees with an intelligent assistant – Copilot for Microsoft 365. Copilot, embedded in tools such as Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Teams, will help them perform repetitive and often tedious activities faster and “free up their time” for more creative activities and the development of digital competences. The assistant, i.a., will summarize the meeting, help prepare the content of the email, design a presentation or support employees in effective planning of the week.

The partnership between Żabka and Microsoft is an expression of mutual trust and long joint experience in implementing the most innovative industry solutions. By joining forces of two leaders – technology and retail – customers, employees and the community will benefit from the increased quality of services, products and added value generated by artificial intelligence.