Shoprite Group on Wednesday announced it has launched a pilot store in Cape Town that has no cashiers and no checkout counters. The store is entirely powered by cameras and artificial intelligence software.

There isn't even a point of sale -- consumers' bank cards are billed automatically as they leave the store with the goods they have selected.

TechCentral spoke to Shoprite Group chief of strategy and innovation Neil Schreuder about the store -- called Checkers Rush -- and why the JSE-listed retail giant is testing the concept in South Africa.

Similar to Amazon Go -- Amazon.com's cashierless stores in the US and the UK -- Checkers Rush promises an "automated, cashless 'no queues, no checkout, no waiting'" experience. It's in internal testing with employees for now but may be rolled out wider if it proves successful in the pilot.

The concept store is the brainchild of Shoprite Group's new division, ShopriteX, which use data science to “enhance customer experiences”. The division was also responsible for the popular Sixty60 online shopping app.

Don't miss the discussion about innovation in South Africa's retail sector.