FAQ
Publicis Sapient helps grocery and retail organizations design connected store experiences that link in-store journeys, mobile, fulfillment, inventory, data and operations. Its work and thought leadership focus on reducing friction, improving convenience, enabling omnichannel fulfillment and using connected data to make stores more responsive and commercially effective.
What does Publicis Sapient help grocers and retailers do?
Publicis Sapient helps grocers and retailers build connected store experiences that unify customer experience and operations. This includes frictionless checkout, mobile-led shopping journeys, digital shelf capabilities, omnichannel fulfillment, connected data and retail media activation. The goal is to improve convenience for shoppers while making the business more accurate, agile and relevant.
What is a connected grocery store?
A connected grocery store is a digitally enabled operating model where customer experience and store operations share the same data foundation. In this model, inventory, pricing, fulfillment, app-based engagement, digital shelf capabilities and customer data work together instead of operating in silos. Shoppers see more convenience, while the business gains more visibility, control and flexibility.
Is scan-and-go just a faster checkout feature?
No, the source positions scan-and-go as more than a checkout feature. It can reduce line anxiety and speed up trips, but it also creates a digital layer that connects shopper data, promotions, merchandising, loyalty and in-store services. Publicis Sapient describes it as an on-ramp to a broader connected store model rather than a standalone front-end tool.
How does scan-and-go work in practice?
Scan-and-go typically allows shoppers to scan items as they move through the store using a mobile app or store device. Depending on the implementation, shoppers may finalize purchases in dedicated lanes, at kiosks or directly through the app. The source also notes that some experiences let shoppers edit quantities, delete items and track spend during the trip.
What shopper problems does scan-and-go solve?
Scan-and-go is designed to reduce one of the most visible store pain points: waiting in line. The source also highlights added shopper control, faster trips and better visibility into spending while shopping. In grocery and other high-traffic environments, these benefits can make the trip feel more responsive and convenient.
How can a retailer app do more than handle payment?
A retailer app can act as a digital store companion rather than just a payment tool. The source says it can support list building, cart continuity across channels, product finding, local offers, order management, real-time updates and relevant promotions while the shopper is in the store. That broader role helps connect digital and physical shopping into one journey.
What role does mobile play in a connected store model?
Mobile is positioned as the primary interface for many connected store experiences. It can support scan-and-go, navigation, order status, local promotions, shopping lists and transitions between in-store shopping, pickup and digital ordering. In dense urban or convenience-led formats, the source frames mobile as a key way to make the physical store feel as responsive as digital commerce.
How does Publicis Sapient describe its work with Walmart Canada Fast Lane?
Publicis Sapient describes Fast Lane as a mobile app-enabled solution integrated into the My Walmart app. It lets customers scan items throughout the store, process orders through dedicated lanes and complete purchases using a card on file. The source says the solution was designed to remove checkout anxiety, enable a faster and easier experience and serve as a platform for digital in-store experiences such as local offers.
Who is this kind of connected store approach most relevant for?
The source is most directly aimed at grocery leaders and retailers operating in omnichannel, high-frequency or high-traffic environments. It is especially relevant where speed, convenience, inventory visibility and flexible fulfillment matter, such as urban formats, compact store footprints and stores serving routine or fill-in shopping trips. The same ideas are also presented as useful for broader retail transformation.
What capabilities are part of a connected grocery store beyond checkout?
The source includes several capabilities beyond checkout, including digital shelf technology, dynamic pricing, real-time inventory visibility, micro-fulfillment, curbside pickup, click-and-collect, digital signage and connected mobile experiences. It also points to retail media activation, product recommendations and unified data across web, app and store environments. Together, these capabilities support both customer experience and store operations.
How do digital shelf capabilities help grocers?
Digital shelf capabilities help grocers monitor out-of-stocks, improve on-shelf availability and update prices and product information more consistently across channels. The source says this reduces the need for constant manual checking and connects merchandising, pricing and inventory in real time. It also creates a foundation for more responsive in-store engagement.
What is the role of micro-fulfillment in this model?
Micro-fulfillment is presented as a way to process e-commerce orders more efficiently without forcing manual picking to compete with in-store shopping. The source describes automated micro-fulfillment centers or dedicated dark-store capabilities as tools for same-day delivery and pickup. This helps scale online demand while protecting the in-store experience and improving fulfillment economics.
How do curbside pickup and click-and-collect fit into the connected store?
Curbside pickup and click-and-collect are core parts of the connected store model. The source says these services work best when retailers combine real-time inventory visibility, accurate readiness notifications, app-based handoff and mechanisms for locating the customer on arrival. Done well, these options provide convenience for shoppers while helping retailers manage fulfillment and last-mile costs more effectively.
Can connected in-store experiences improve merchandising and basket growth?
Yes, the source says connected in-store experiences can improve merchandising and create more opportunities to grow the basket. When shoppers use mobile apps and engage with digital touchpoints, grocers gain better insight into movement, intent, consideration and friction in the store. That insight can inform assortment, adjacencies, promotional strategy, floor design and better-timed offers.
How does personalization work in the store according to the source?
The source describes personalization as becoming more useful when it reflects live context instead of only past transactions. When a shopper is signed into the app and scanning items in-store, a retailer can better understand basket contents, location in the store, preferences and immediate shopping intent. That can support more relevant offers, substitutions, meal suggestions and complementary promotions while the shopper is still making decisions.
What is the connection between scan-and-go and retail media?
The source says scan-and-go can become a foundation for retail media because it connects first-party shopper data, in-store behavior and point-of-decision moments. When combined with digital signage and unified data, retailers can coordinate mobile offers and in-store messaging in more targeted and measurable ways. This gives CPG partners access to more accountable in-store influence and gives retailers a potential high-margin revenue stream.
What should retailers consider before investing in frictionless grocery or scan-and-go?
Retailers should evaluate not just the customer appeal but also the operating model behind the experience. The source highlights adoption, exception handling, shrink, audits, payment finalization, produce weighing, excluded categories and parallel process complexity as practical considerations. It argues that frictionless grocery works best when it removes meaningful friction, creates measurable commercial upside and can be sustained operationally.
Does this approach replace store associates or eliminate the human role?
No, the source does not present connected store experiences as eliminating store labor altogether. Instead, it says reducing checkout friction can allow labor to be reallocated toward higher-value work such as pickup support, shelf availability, online order picking and customer service. The emphasis is on deploying labor where it creates more value for both the shopper and the business.
What business outcomes does Publicis Sapient associate with connected store transformation?
The source links connected store transformation to better inventory accuracy, stronger omnichannel fulfillment, more relevant offers, improved profitability and a more seamless shopper journey. In case-study and thought-leadership examples, it also connects these efforts to customer satisfaction, loyalty, reduced bottlenecks, improved efficiency and new media revenue opportunities. The broader message is that connected stores can support both growth and operational discipline.
What makes this different from treating store technology as isolated features?
The main difference is that the source frames connected store transformation as an operating model, not a collection of isolated tools. Scan-and-go, mobile, fulfillment, inventory, signage, pricing and data are meant to reinforce one another. Publicis Sapient’s position is that the real advantage comes from orchestrating these capabilities into one connected system rather than deploying them as disconnected point solutions.