The company inaugurates a new facility at its Carrefour store in Ibn Battuta Mall

Majid Al Futtaim, the Middle East’s largest mall operator, is using artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies to process customer orders quickly as it aims to boost sales.

The company this week rolled out a new automated Micro Fulfillment Centre at its Carrefour store in Ibn Battuta Mall that is expected to slash the time required to process the online orders by half, Majid Al Futtaim said in a statement on Thursday.

The company is planning to start a similar system in other stores in the first half of this year.

Online sales have increased in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic related movement restrictions.

“In partnership with Takeoff, the automated technologies will help us fulfil customers’ orders faster, while minimising human errors, and utilising our colleagues’ skills to better serve our customers,” Hani Weiss, chief executive of Majid Al Futtaim Retail, said.

The new automated facility was inaugurated by Omar Sultan Al Olama, minister of state for artificial intelligence, digital economy and remote work applications along with other top executives from the company, according to the statement.

“Communities served by Carrefour Ibn Battuta will find it more convenient to order online as a result of the newly implemented technology,' the company said.

A dedicated inventory placement machine uses AI to allocate storage space for stock depending on each item’s popularity, drastically improving stock availability for orders, according to the company.

“This guarantees up to 200 accurate orders are sent out every hour to get products to customers in nearby communities on-time and in perfect condition.”

Carrefour has recorded 220 per cent surge in online orders in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Majid Al Futtaim operates over 350 Carrefour stores in 17 countries, serving more than 750,000 customers daily.

The company's full year 2020 earnings fell 19 per cent as movement restrictions to stem the spread of Covid-19 affected revenue of the group's divisions.

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