Pick n Pay asap! turns up the tech as online grocery sales accelerate

Pick n Pay asap! is building on a year of digital innovation with a further investment in the technology and in-store capabilities that support its growing online grocery business. Following a multi-store pilot that reduced average order-picking times by around 30%, Pick n Pay is rolling out OrderGrid’s AI-powered store operations and fulfilment platform across more than 720 stores nationwide.

The rollout marks the final stage of a two-year technology replatforming journey, giving Pick n Pay a stronger foundation to support the continued evolution of asap!. Online grocery sales grew by 35.4% in the 26 weeks ended 30 August 2026 (H1 FY27).

The latest enhancements strengthen the systems that connect product availability, store operations and online order fulfilment. Using OrderGrid’s platform, Pick n Pay is introducing tools for real-time inventory management, demand forecasting, order management and store execution to help teams reduce out-of-stocks, identify shelf gaps and fulfil online orders more efficiently. These capabilities build on Pick n Pay’s existing use of computer vision to detect shelf gaps and machine learning to optimise picking routes, supporting improved product availability and greater picking efficiency.

“Having strengthened our core digital platform, our focus shifted earlier this year to the technology that supports in-store fulfilment. Using OrderGrid’s tools will help our teams pick online orders more efficiently, particularly larger baskets, improving picking times and strengthening our capacity to support the continued growth of our online business,” says Enrico Ferigolli, Retail Executive: Omnichannel at Pick n Pay.

The replatforming has also enabled Pick n Pay to accelerate the introduction of new features and improvements across the asap! app this year. These include Penny, South Africa’s first conversational AI-powered grocery shopping assistant, which helps customers discover products, plan meals and build their baskets using text, voice and images. The app has also introduced Clothing, live shopping through the Inspire feature, and Smart Shopper PRO, a subscription offering that brings additional savings, rewards and delivery benefits. Further developments are also planned for later this year.

Together, these developments reflect how investment in asap!’s technology is translating into practical improvements across the shopping journey, from product discovery and basket building to in-store fulfilment. While Penny enhances the customer-facing experience, OrderGrid strengthens the in-store operations needed to fulfil orders efficiently and reliably.

Ferigolli says the technology investments are helping Pick n Pay build on its online growth.

“Our online business is growing faster this year than last year, and strengthening our technology foundations is helping us build on that momentum. For customers, the priority is getting the products they ordered when they expect them. By giving our store teams better tools and greater visibility into stock and orders, we can improve fulfilment efficiency as we continue to grow our omnichannel business.

“Working with specialists such as OrderGrid also gives us access to new capabilities and innovation that can help us improve operational efficiency and respond to the evolving needs of our customers,” says Ferigolli.

Aidan Mittra, Co-Founder of OrderGrid, says, “Customers come back when they find what they came for, whether they’re ordering online or shopping in person. Accurately stocked shelves make that possible in every channel, and as more people begin shopping through AI assistants, that accuracy matters more than ever. We’re proud to partner with Pick n Pay as it invests in its customer journey.”