Shoprite says Tinder AI shopping assistant a massive hit as South Africa’s largest retailer celebrates the rapid success of its AI-powered shopping assistant, Pixie. Just three months after its launch on the Checkers Sixty60 platform, Shoprite says the innovative feature has become one of the fastest-adopted technologies in the company’s history, with 98% of Sixty60 Xtra Savings Plus members already using it.

The artificial intelligence-powered shopping assistant has transformed how customers shop online by offering personalised grocery recommendations based on previous purchasing behaviour. Inspired by the swipe functionality popularised by dating apps, Pixie allows users to quickly accept or reject suggested products with a simple swipe, making online grocery shopping faster and more intuitive.

The announcement reflects a broader shift towards AI-powered retail experiences in South Africa, where major supermarket chains are increasingly investing in advanced technologies to improve customer convenience and personalise digital shopping.

Shoprite Sixty60 Pixie achieves remarkable adoption

Shoprite’s AI shopping assistant, known as Shoprite Sixty60 Pixie, was introduced exclusively for subscribers of the retailer’s Xtra Savings Plus programme in April 2026. Within only three months, the feature has attracted widespread adoption among paying members.

According to Shoprite, nearly every subscriber now uses Pixie while shopping on the Checkers Sixty60 app.

The retailer says customers have already added more than 4 million products to their shopping baskets using the AI-powered recommendation engine.

Company executives describe Pixie as one of the most successful product innovations ever introduced to the Sixty60 platform.

Neil Schreuder, Shoprite Group’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, previously compared Pixie to “Tinder for groceries” because of its familiar swipe interface.

Instead of endlessly scrolling through product lists, shoppers simply swipe down to add recommended products to their basket or swipe up to skip items they do not want.

How the AI shopping assistant works

Personalised shopping through artificial intelligence

The AI shopping assistant uses machine learning to analyse each customer’s previous purchases and shopping habits.

Rather than offering generic recommendations, Pixie builds a personalised shopping experience by predicting which products individual customers are likely to need during their next grocery order.

As customers continue using the feature, its recommendations become increasingly accurate.

Shoprite says Pixie constantly learns from buying patterns, seasonal purchases, favourite brands and shopping frequency.

This creates a highly customised shopping experience that saves time while reducing the effort required to build grocery baskets.

Unlike traditional online shopping that requires customers to manually search for every product, Pixie proactively suggests items before shoppers even begin browsing.

The goal is to make grocery shopping feel more conversational and intuitive.

Checkers Sixty60 continues leading digital retail

Innovation strengthens online grocery shopping

The success of Checkers Sixty60 demonstrates how rapidly South African consumers are embracing digital retail innovations.

Since its launch several years ago, Sixty60 has become one of South Africa’s most popular grocery delivery platforms.

The addition of artificial intelligence represents another major milestone in its evolution.

Shoprite says Pixie has also contributed to higher-than-average basket values, suggesting that customers are purchasing more items when using personalised AI recommendations.

One particularly active user reportedly added 730 products using Pixie, with purchases valued at more than R36,000.

These figures illustrate how AI can benefit both customers and retailers by making shopping more convenient while increasing sales.

Shoprite Xtra Savings Plus members benefit most

Pixie is currently available exclusively to subscribers of Shoprite Xtra Savings Plus.

Members pay a monthly subscription fee in exchange for benefits that include unlimited free grocery deliveries and exclusive discounts.

Adding Pixie to the subscription package increases the programme’s value by offering members an intelligent shopping companion that simplifies repeat purchases.

The retailer believes the feature encourages customer loyalty while providing a more personalised digital shopping experience.

According to Shoprite, the overwhelming adoption rate indicates that subscribers quickly recognised the value of AI-assisted shopping.

As more people use Pixie, the system continues improving its recommendations through ongoing learning.

Neil Schreuder said the technology becomes smarter with every interaction.

“The more customers use it, the better it understands their shopping habits, making each shop simpler and more intuitive than the last,” he explained.

Retail AI competition heats up in South Africa

Pick n Pay Penny AI enters the market

Shoprite is not the only retailer investing heavily in artificial intelligence.

Its main competitor recently introduced Pick n Pay Penny AI, another intelligent shopping assistant designed to simplify grocery purchases.

Unlike Pixie’s swipe-based interface, Penny allows customers to create shopping baskets using voice commands, text conversations and even photographs.

Powered by Google’s Gemini large language model, Penny supports multiple South African languages, including English, isiZulu and Afrikaans.

Pick n Pay believes conversational AI represents the future of online shopping, allowing customers to communicate naturally instead of relying solely on search functions.

The launch signals an increasingly competitive race among South African retailers to provide the smartest digital shopping experiences.

AI is changing online grocery shopping

Artificial intelligence is transforming retail worldwide by making online shopping more personalised, efficient and convenient.

Recommendation engines have long been used by companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Spotify to suggest movies, products and music.

South African retailers are now applying similar technology to grocery shopping.

By analysing customer preferences, AI can predict future purchases with impressive accuracy.

Instead of manually remembering shopping lists, consumers increasingly rely on intelligent assistants to remind them of products they regularly buy.

This reduces shopping time while improving convenience.

Retail experts believe personalised shopping assistants will soon become standard features across many online shopping platforms.

Benefits for shoppers

Pixie provides several practical advantages for customers.

These include:

• Faster shopping experiences.
• Personalised product recommendations.
• Easier repeat purchases.
• Reduced time spent searching for products.
• Higher convenience for busy households.
• Smarter grocery planning based on previous buying habits.

Because recommendations become increasingly accurate over time, many shoppers may find themselves relying on AI to manage regular household purchases.

Benefits for retailers

Artificial intelligence also delivers significant business advantages.

Retailers can increase customer engagement, improve shopping satisfaction and encourage larger basket sizes through relevant product suggestions.

Personalised recommendations often result in customers discovering products they may not have searched for independently.

This creates additional sales opportunities while enhancing the overall customer experience.

The early performance of Pixie suggests AI can successfully drive both customer satisfaction and revenue growth simultaneously.

The future of AI-powered retail in South Africa

Artificial intelligence is expected to become an increasingly important part of South Africa’s retail landscape.

As supermarkets continue investing in digital innovation, shoppers can expect more intelligent recommendations, voice shopping, predictive ordering and automated grocery planning.

Competition between Shoprite and Pick n Pay is likely to accelerate innovation further as both companies seek to attract digitally connected consumers.

Future AI tools may eventually integrate with smart home devices, automatically generating shopping lists based on household consumption patterns.

Retail analysts believe these technologies could fundamentally reshape grocery shopping over the next decade.

YOU MAY LIKE:

Pick n Pay ASAP launches a new AI shopper named Penny.

Treasury withholds funds from 69 municipalities in nine provinces

Conclusion

The success of Pixie highlights how quickly South African consumers are embracing artificial intelligence in everyday shopping.

With 98% of Shoprite Xtra Savings Plus members already using the platform and more than 4 million products added through AI recommendations, the retailer has demonstrated strong consumer demand for personalised digital shopping experiences.

At the same time, competitors such as Pick n Pay Penny AI are investing in similar technologies, creating a new era of innovation within South Africa’s retail sector.

As artificial intelligence continues evolving, online grocery shopping is becoming faster, smarter and increasingly personalised. Shoprite says Tinder AI shopping assistant a massive hit is more than just a headline—it reflects how AI is reshaping the future of retail, making shopping easier for customers while helping retailers better understand and serve consumer needs.