Building on its effort to provide a unique and innovative experience, Oman Oil Marketing Company (OOMCO), in partnership with Omantel, has inaugurated its brand new Smart Ahlain store, the first Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) powered smart store in the Middle East.

Located at Omantel’s headquarters in Madinat Al Irfan, the store is equipped with more than 60 smart cameras and over 500 smart shelves that will capture shoppers’ movements in the aisles and track the products placed in their baskets.

Customers’ mobile wallets will be debited for the items purchased as they walk out of the store and a receipt sent to them electronically, providing them with an enhanced queue-free, cashless, and grab-and-go shopping experience.

“Customer-centricity forms the core of all OOMCO’s operations and services, and we aim to add value to customers’ lives while enriching the shopping experiences across all our services,” said Tarik Mohamed Al Junaidi, CEO of OOMCO.

“Being the first smart store of its kind in the Middle East, Smart Ahlain eases our customers’ experience as they do not have to wait at the billing counter or use cash or a card to check out. I am confident that this new store will accelerate the digital transformation across the region, revolutionizing the way people shop,” he added.

Talal Said Al Mamari, the CEO of Omantel, added: “Our partnership with OOMCO for the Smart Ahlain Store puts us one step closer to meeting Oman’s long-term digital transformation goals, as well as Omantel’s objective to harness emerging technologies like AI and IoT.

“We are proud to be the first service provider to introduce this concept and invest in such innovations that underline our technological expertise on a local and regional level.”

The launch is part OOMCO’s commitment to provide more and better services while becoming among the most customer-centric marketer both locally and within GCC countries by 2027.

Today, OOMCO maintains a network of 234 service stations and over 100 Ahlain convenience stores located throughout all regions of Oman.