Lisbon-based Sensei, which helps grocers build checkout-free stores using cameras and artificial intelligence, said three European grocers will use its technology for stores they plan to open this year. The move allows the grocers to compete with Amazon, which has 10 checkout-free stores in Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago. (Bloomberg)

Talking point: The race to streamline the grocery-shopping experience is heating up globally, including in Canada. Loblaw and Walmart have tapped Instacart to compete with Amazon’s same-day grocery delivery. In May 2018, Loblaw expanded its service, allowing customers to shop online and pick up groceries in-store to 700 outlets, and it announced a program on Wednesday that uses its in-store data to target customers with ads online. Walmart’s efforts to create a more seamless shopping experience—like self-checkout and letting consumers scan their own items as they shop before paying at the cash—hasn’t been well-received by all customers. The retailer scaled back its “scan-and-go” system in Canadian stores and abandoned it completely in the U.S. in 2018, though it didn’t explain why. Walmart has since focused on its click-and-collect grocery service, which it wants to roll out to 3,100 stores by the end of the fiscal year.