BelgiumRetail and e-commerce2023 – ongoingColruyt Group
Easy check-out: AI cameras that recognise products at the till
Colruyt planned to put product-recognition cameras above the checkouts of all 270 of its supermarkets
Problem
Cashiers at Colruyt scanned each product by hand with a handheld scanner as items moved from one cart to another. The retailer wanted shorter queues and less physical strain on staff.
Approach
Colruyt introduced a first version of the Easy check-out in 2023 at the supermarket near its headquarters in Halle. Cameras above the checkout recognise products as staff move them between carts, so no barcode scan is needed. In August 2025 the group said it would equip the first 50 stores from September 2025 and finish the 270 supermarkets in late 2026. It was also testing a smart scale that identifies loose fruit and vegetables.
Results
Takeaway
Colruyt tested the camera checkout in one store for about two years before it committed to a chain-wide rollout.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Retail and e-commerce
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Computer vision
- Adoption
- Built in-house
- Evidence
- Press reporting
Sources
Source summaries
The article reports that Colruyt will install cameras that recognise products at the checkout in all 270 supermarkets. The first 50 stores were due from September 2025 and completion was expected in late 2026. A first version had run since 2023 in the Halle store. The article gives no productivity result.
Full details are in the original sources.
