Checkers has upgraded Pixie, its Sixty60 AI assistant, adding multimodal conversational capabilities to bridge the gap with Pick n Pay’s rival assistant, Penny. The update, titled Smart Chat, allows users to interact via text, voice, and images, shifting Pixie from a purely predictive replenishment tool into a fully conversational shopping assistant.
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When Pick n Pay launched Penny in July using Google’s Gemini models, it prioritized conversational commerce, allowing users to request recipes and populate carts via interactive dialogue. In contrast, ShopriteX originally built Pixie on Xtra Savings data to focus on predictive reordering and automated basket building.
With Smart Chat, Checkers adopts the multimodal feature set pioneered by Penny while adding contextual personalization:
- Multimodal Search: Users can upload handwritten recipes to generate cart items or snap photos of products (such as razor blades) to identify correct replacements.
- Curated Content: Ask for meal ideas, and Pixie curates recipes—including an exclusive selection from Jamie Oliver—with one-tap basket additions.
- Contextual Pitching: Pixie integrates local weather and time-of-day data, suggesting braai supplies on sunny afternoons and comfort food during cold fronts.
Checkers’ update eliminates the capability gap Pick n Pay held for two months, turning the competitive focus from basic chatbot functionality to algorithmic utility.
Here, Shoprite holds a distinct data advantage through Xtra Savings, South Africa’s largest grocery loyalty program. Shoprite reports that Pixie has driven over four million product additions to customer baskets since April, though the metric tracks added items rather than completed purchases.
While Pixie became available to all Sixty60 users in July, the new Smart Chat feature is rolling out in phases over the coming weeks, launching exclusively for Xtra Savings Plus subscribers first. Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Neil Schreuder positioned the upgrade as evolving Pixie into a “24/7 personal shopping butler”, signalling that South Africa’s leading grocery delivery platforms are now fully aligned on AI-driven conversational commerce.
