Brazilian wholesale food retailer Assaí is prioritising technology and innovation to boost efficiency and productivity.
This comes after a recent period of significant expansion, during which it opened over 120 stores in four years, taking its total to over 300.
The company is focusing inward to leverage its scale and strategic assets, aligning with the digital transformation of society.
Since 2024, Assaí has been advancing digitalisation and business intelligence projects to enhance convenience and the shopping experience for its 40 million monthly customers.
Its technology and innovation efforts are concentrated in operations, logistics and sales, using automation and data.
A new warehouse management system operating in its main distribution centres has improved control, speed, and logistics traceability, leading to a 12% processing increase at the Cajamar distribution centre in three months.
An integrated set of technological solutions, called Nova Era, is under way, to optimise inventory management and product offerings by connecting logistics, sales and replenishment data.
Technology Push
The Meu Assaí app has over 14 million registered users and has become a powerful sales tool, increasing purchase frequency by 59% among registered customers, the company added.
The app facilitates personalised campaigns and offers through CRM integration and provides access to current offers, store locations, financial services, and a digital wallet.
Assaí installed 731 new services from January to June, including infrastructure for bakeries, cafeterias/canteens, butcher shops, and self-service checkouts in 224 stores. All stores now offer free wi-fi, with improved coverage and simplified access.
New systems have been implemented to improve administrative functions. Treasury operations now utilise a SAP module for real-time cash flow monitoring and Assaí Pag, an SAP-integrated platform for automatic supplier payments.
In the tax area, document automation has been advanced, and a new tax calculation engine has been adopted.
The wholesaler is implementing 360 ERP, a software system for data unification and productivity gains in human resources.
The Nossa Gente app consolidates access to employee benefits, with more than half of Assaí’s 88,000 employees using the app within three months.
Its IT function has expanded the use of robotic process automation (RPA) robots for high-volume activities – like invoice-processing, guide issuance, and reconciliations – saving hundreds of man hours per month.