Google Cloud, Central Food Retail Group Debut GenAI-Powered “Tops Chef Bot”
Tops Chef Bot acts as a trusted shopping partner, recommending standout products, such as imported goods, new arrivals, and exclusive items tailored to the customer’s lifestyle.
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Central Food Retail Company Limited under Central Retail, the operator of retail brands like Tops, Tops Food Hall, Tops daily, Tops Online, and Matsukiyo, has joined forces with Central Retail Digital and Google Cloud to develop and launch ‘Tops Chef Bot,’ an innovative shopping assistant powered by generative AI (genAI) to create a more customised and convenient shopping experience.
This intelligent shopping assistant, the first-of-its-kind in Thai supermarkets, integrates Google Cloud’s data analytics, genAI, and enterprise search engine capabilities with Central Food Retail’s Personal Shopper service. It is designed to provide customers with a seamless, effortless shopping experience, transforming everyday meal planning into a streamlined and enjoyable process.
Tops Chef Bot will debut as a pilot program at Tops Food Hall, Central Chidlom. This marks the first step in a phased rollout, with plans to expand this service to all Tops branches nationwide in the near future. Customers can engage with Tops Chef Bot through the LINE application.
Mr Stephane Coum, Chief Executive Officer, Central Food Retail Group, said, “Since the successful launch of the Personal Shopper service in 2021, which enhanced the convenience and lifestyle of our customers, Tops has continued to innovate and develop cutting-edge retail solutions. We prioritise the integration of digital technology and AI to refine our operations and elevate the customer experience, adapting swiftly to the dynamic trends and demands of the digital era. This year, we are revolutionising Thailand’s retail landscape once again through a strategic collaboration between Central Retail Digital and Google Cloud. Together, we are proud to unveil Tops Chef Bot, Thailand’s first intelligent shopping assistant, which is available on the LINE application.
“Powered by Google Cloud’s enterprise-grade genAI, Tops Chef Bot offers unparalleled convenience and a more advanced, seamless shopping experience for our customers, reinforcing our vision of being a ‘Truly World-Class Omnichannel Lifestyle Food Retailer.’ With this initiative, we aim to set new benchmarks for the Thai retail industry, paving the way for a more innovative future.”
A conversational AI agent built on Google-quality search, grounded in enterprise data
With Google Cloud’s BigQuery platform, Central Food Retail Group could bring its enterprise data, in different formats across various sources, into a universal metastore with fine-grained access controls, enabling the secure delivery of real-time analytics that reduce the time between signal, insight, and action.
This allowed Tops Chef Bot to be developed based on insights from Tops customers, who primarily reside in urban areas, lead fast-paced lifestyles, and often lack the time to visit physical stores or prepare meals themselves.
By leveraging Google Cloud’s Vertex AI Search to ground Google’s highly-responsive Gemini 1.5 Flash model in data from its metastore, Central Food Retail Group could embed a Google-quality semantic search engine and customised agentic AI workflow into Tops Chef Bot, empowering it to produce accurate and contextually-relevant responses and recommendations.
Tops Chef Bot is therefore able to address customer needs by providing real-time assistance, mimicking the experience of walking the aisles in person, through four key features:
- Shopping Companion: Tops Chef Bot acts as a trusted shopping partner, recommending standout products, such as imported goods, new arrivals, and exclusive items tailored to the customer’s lifestyle. It also includes personalised features such as creating shopping baskets based on purchase history and providing a summary of selected items.
- Culinary Assistant: Making meal preparation easier than ever, Tops Chef Bot calculates the quantity of ingredients required for each dish based on the number of servings. It also accommodates individual needs, such as dietary restrictions, religious requirements, and food allergies.
- Savings Guru: Tops Chef Bot compiles discounts, loyalty point promotions, and seasonal offers. This ensures customers can shop smart and save more.
- Human Connection: For those who prefer interacting with a real person, Tops Chef Bot seamlessly integrates with the Personal Shopper service, enabling customers to connect directly with staff for additional assistance.
The introduction of Tops Chef Bot is a significant step forward in fostering sustainable business growth, fully aligned with the Central Food Retail Group’s roadmap for long-term development and innovation.
