By Dennis Gichuiri
Technology firm CompuLynx has announced plans to deepen the use of artificial intelligence and cloud-based systems in Kenya’s retail sector as businesses increasingly embrace digital operations and data-driven decision making.
Speaking during a media briefing, CompuLynx Head of Retail Practice Siddesh Narkar said the company has evolved from a small retail technology provider in the 1990s into a regional technology solutions partner serving businesses across East Africa.
Narkar said the company was established in 1994 at a time when most supermarkets relied on manual cash registers that only generated basic sales summaries. He noted that CompuLynx became one of the first firms in Kenya to introduce electronic point of sale systems using PCs and barcode scanners.
“In those days supermarkets mainly used cash registers which only gave basic sales reports. We were among the first companies to introduce digital retail systems using PCs and scanners,” said Narkar.
He explained that the company’s early innovations helped retailers improve inventory management and monitor business performance more effectively.
The company later expanded beyond retail technology and partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service to introduce chip-based card systems at national parks.
According to Narkar, the system helped reduce revenue leakages and improved monitoring of park access, leading to increased revenue collection for the wildlife agency.
As technology evolved, CompuLynx transitioned from DOS-based systems to Windows platforms before eventually adopting .NET technologies. In 2017, the company launched its latest cloud-based retail solution known as NEX.
Narkar said the NEX platform was designed to support modern business environments and younger generations of technology users, including Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers and operators.
The system allows retailers and business owners to remotely monitor operations through mobile phones and other internet-enabled devices.
“Today, a business owner does not need to sit in the office to know what is happening in the store. They can access reports and monitor operations directly from their mobile phones,” he said.
The executive noted that artificial intelligence is no longer a luxury for businesses but a necessity, especially in retail where companies must make quick decisions based on accurate data and customer trends.
He said CompuLynx has already integrated AI-powered tools into its systems to help businesses identify gaps in operations, analyse sales performance and improve profitability.
According to Narkar, the company’s large language models are helping retailers understand whether products are generating sustainable profits or simply creating short-term sales spikes through promotions.
He added that AI is also helping businesses tackle shrinkage, one of the biggest challenges facing retailers globally.
“Shrinkage is a major problem in retail. Businesses need to know whether losses are internal or external so they can take the right action,” he said.
Besides software development, CompuLynx also offers consultancy services aimed at helping businesses maintain clean and accurate data for better decision making.
Narkar explained that poor data classification can negatively affect stock management, supplier records and overall business analysis.
The company currently operates offices in Nairobi’s Parklands area as well as branches in Mombasa, Tanzania and Uganda as it expands its regional footprint in digital business solutions.
