On Monday, 6 July, Pick n Pay launched Penny, an AI-powered grocery shopping assistant integrated into its asap! on-demand delivery app. Powered by Google's Gemini AI model, Penny was announced as South Africa's first fully integrated AI-driven grocery shopping companion for asap!. The assistant allows customers to build grocery baskets using voice notes, text or photos instead of manually searching for products. According to Pick n Pay, Penny can read handwritten shopping lists, recognise recipes and product photos, suggest recipes, recommend substitutions, meal plan, apply budget-conscious shopping, and personalise recommendations. Penny's implementation points to a change in the South African online user's shopping experience, reducing manual effort by allowing customers to describe a meal, enter shopping lists and their budget. Other retailers have also experimented with generative AI; last year, Shoprite Holdings invested in AI while its Checkers Sixty60 platform introduced its own in-app AI companion, Pixie. Penny's launch forms part of Pick n Pay's broader effort to strengthen its digital offering as it works to regain market share.