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Retail & AI · Completed
Etisalat e& Smart Autonomous Store
Led the design and execution of an AI-powered, fully autonomous retail store for Etisalat — the first of its kind launched by a telecom operator anywhere in the world.
Client: Etisalat e& Period: 2023
AIFacial RecognitionITMSRoboticsCleveron 402/403
Etisalat’s Smart Autonomous Store reimagined what a telecom retail experience could look like: walk in, get recognized, get served by robotics, walk out. Ahead of GITEX 2023, I led the program that took this from concept to a live, functioning store — one of the most technically demanding projects of my career.
Challenges
- Hard deadline tied directly to the GITEX 2023 exhibition — no room for schedule slip
- Seamless integration across 10+ disparate systems with no existing playbook
- Multi-system synchronization between recognition, inventory, and robotics layers
- Maintaining security and network stability under live exhibition conditions
Outcome
- First autonomous retail store deployed by a telecom operator globally
- 60% reduction in average transaction time
- 25% decrease in operational costs through automation
- Delivered on schedule for the GITEX 2023 launch
Key Learning
Stakeholder management: aligning telecom, retail, and hardware vendor priorities under one deadline
Technology lessons: integration complexity grows non-linearly with each additional system
Risk management: build contingency time around hardware delivery, not just software
Personal growth: delivering a world-first under pressure builds lasting confidence in solution design