A trolley full of features

Retail giant Makro has been around forever. It has 22 South African stores to go with its bustling online operation, and more products than any of us can count without the help of technology.

With such a loyal customer base – most of whom have forgotten their Makro card at home at least once – it’s understandable that they spare no expense when it comes to keeping those customers happy.

To take the next step in their digital evolution, Makro was looking for a way to connect with their customers instantly, giving them the information they needed to make the most of their shopping experience. With everyone and their aunts on WhatsApp these days, our team put their heads together to come up with an Intelligent Assistant on SA’s most used app.

Backed by our AI-powered conversational platform Feersum Engine, Makro’s Intelligent Assistant tracks orders, shows catalogues, finds stores, answers FAQ’s and yes, it does digital store cards. And naturally – as is Praekelt tradition – we’ve left the store door open for a whole lot of future features.

Fast features

Time was not on our side, so we doubled our efforts to analyse the problem, find the solution and release the first set of features within two weeks.

Starting something special

Our engineers put together a bot that fits the Makro brand like a second skin. It's Infinitely customisable, extendable, and could live forever.

Customer first

In the spirit of user-first service design, our engineering and UX experts customised a user journey that makes every customer feel like royalty.

Speaking simply

There’s no need for jargon or fancy phrases – it’s all about understandable content that’s straightforward for all South Africans.

A handheld retail shopping experience.

This bold step towards the future of customer service ensures customers have the best experience on their own terms. The addition and implementation of exciting features in WhatsApp aligns with Makro’s mission to help our customers fulfil their aspirations of living better lives, running better businesses, and saving time and money.

– Lazo Karapanagiotidis, Makro Head of Digital Innovation

11 234

in a single month

14

number of messages received from each user.