Sensei's Italian Debut: Reshaping Italy's Retail Scene with Checkout-Free 'Neighbourhood Store' in Verona

Sensei has teamed up with the Dao cooperative to "open Italy's first autonomous supermarket." The startup claims to be a "pioneer in applying artificial intelligence in a neighbourhood store," located in Verona.

After announcing its arrival in Brazil just over a year ago, Sensei has now entered the Italian market with its technology for autonomous supermarkets, eliminating checkouts. The first autonomous store of the Portuguese startup in Italy was inaugurated in Verona last November.

In a statement, the technology company, which partnered with Dao—a "cooperative [Italian] that has been operating in the retail sector for over 60 years"—to enter the Italian market, asserts that it has become a "pioneer in applying artificial intelligence in a neighbourhood store located in the historic center of Verona."

In this new store, as in others equipped with Sensei's technology, customers will be able to enter "without any barriers," pick up the products they want, and leave without having to go to a checkout. Through technologies such as "computer vision, sensors, and artificial intelligence algorithms, the store is capable of identifying all products taken from the shelves," creating a virtual shopping cart for each user.

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"At the end, customers exit the store by tapping a card [ATM] or showing the QR Code present in the application where they registered a payment method associated with their purchases," details the company, which adds that "despite the experience being based on technology, there is always a team present" to assist customers.

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In addition to eliminating checkouts, the first store in Italy introduces, according to Sensei, "some developments" such as the possibility for customers to review their shopping cart, updated in real-time, before leaving the store. Vasco Portugal, CEO and co-founder of the startup established in 2017, says the company is "excited to see and support such a bold vision developing and growing in the future."

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"It is a privilege to partner with Dao to open the country's first autonomous supermarket (...) together, we are writing a new page in the history of Italian retail and outlining a new era of smart and integrated shopping," states Vasco Portugal.

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