Pick n Pay asap! brings social commerce to grocery shopping with new SA-first feature

New shoppable video experience called Pick n Pay Inspire launches in the asap! app

Pick n Pay asap! is bringing social commerce to grocery shopping in South Africa with the launch of Pick n Pay Inspire, a new shoppable video feed built directly into the Pick n Pay asap! app.

A first for a South African grocery retailer, this feature lets customers shop products directly from videos, without leaving the experience. Products appear on the screen as they are featured and can be added to the customer's basket in a tap, with groceries delivered within an hour.

Enrico Ferigolli, Retail Executive: Omnichannel at Pick n Pay, says Pick n Pay Inspire is designed to remove the friction between seeing something you want and actually buying it. "We've all done it – you spot a recipe on Instagram, screenshot it, open your grocery app and then try to remember what half the ingredients were. Two apps, one meal, various searches and inevitably something gets forgotten.

"With Pick n Pay Inspire, there are no screenshots, no searching and no trying to remember what you saw. It takes you from 'I want that' to 'it's in my basket' in just a tap."

Pick n Pay Inspire will feature a mix of content, including recipes and entertainment, as well as Pick n Pay Clothing content, which can also be ordered through Pick n Pay asap! for delivery within three to five business days.

The launch of Pick n Pay Inspire builds on the retailer's experimentation with social commerce through its Unreal Deals live shopping show, which has been running since 2024 across the Pick n Pay website and social platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The live format combines entertainment and product demonstrations, allowing viewers to interact with hosts and shop featured product deals while watching. On 25 August, Unreal Deals went live from Pick n Pay Inspire for the first time, bringing the live shopping format into Pick n Pay asap!'s new shoppable-video environment.

Caption: Pick n Pay asap! Unreal Deals live shopping show on Pick n Pay Inspire last night, 24 August 2026. Customers could add products directly to their basket while watching the show, hosted by local personalities.

"Social commerce is about shortening the distance between seeing something and buying it. People increasingly discover what they want through content – whether it's a recipe, a creator, a sporting moment or a product demonstration.

"Pick n Pay Inspire brings that behaviour into grocery shopping. Instead of having to leave the content, search for a product and complete your purchase elsewhere, the content, products, basket and fulfilment are all connected in one experience," says Ferigolli.

Last month, Pick n Pay asap! also launched Penny, South Africa's first conversational AI-powered grocery shopping companion. Penny lets customers move beyond traditional search and filters and simply ask for what they need using their voice or by showing Penny a photo. From meal inspiration and product discovery to building and placing a shop, Penny turns a grocery search into a conversation.

These latest new app features form part of Pick n Pay asap!'s focus on making grocery shopping more personalised, conversational and intuitive.

"The future of digital grocery is about making shopping feel less like a chore and more like a natural part of everyday life. Penny and Pick n Pay Inspire are two different ways of doing that. With Penny, you can ask what to make for dinner, show it a photo or simply tell it what you need. With Pick n Pay Inspire, you can discover something you want to make or try and shop it there and then. Ultimately, we want to meet customers wherever they are and make shopping feel less like a separate task and more like a natural part of the things they're already doing," concludes Ferigolli.