Look for more and more grocery stores to be utilizing special sensor-and-camera equipped technology, via artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled screens attached to the front of shopping carts. This technology makes it easier on the shopper, as items placed in a cart are automatically scanned with a running tally of the products showing up on the screen for ease of shopping. The shopper can also avoid checkout lanes by paying independently through a credit card with the screen’s functionality. Grocery store owners also love this technology, as helpful analytics such as shopper preferences can be easily gauged, and product pop-up suggestions tailored to the shopper can help increase purchases. Various shopping cart AI technology companies, such as Instacart’s Caper Cart, Shopic and TROLLEE, are now vying to conquer the U.S. grocery store market.
Instacart acquired Caper AI in 2021 and has since utilized the technology into its own powered smart cart, called the Caper Cart. These Instacart Caper Carts are already appearing in select Fairway Markets, Kroger, Sobeys, Bristol Farms, Geissler’s Supermarket and Schnucks grocery stores. The Instacart screens fit into specially equipped shopping carts, loaded with sensors and cameras, and ads spring up based on the aisle the shopper is in and which items are currently in the cart. Shoppers also have the ability to sync the screen with a shopping list on their own personal Instacart app. The Instacart brand name is well-known and would probably be the least likely to alienate customers who may be suspicious about using the new technology.
Shopic, an Israeli brand that is already being used in the Shuferal grocery chain in Israel, is currently being test piloted in select Wegmans Food Markets in the New York area. The Shopic technology does not require the use of specially equipped shopping carts with sensors or cameras, but instead only requires an attachable clip-on screen device, called a Shop-E, that can fit onto any shopping cart. This should appeal to budget-minded grocers concerned about excessive upfront costs needed to implement these AI features. The screen still captures consumer data and shows helpful pop-up item suggestions based on the shopper’s preferences.
TROLLEE, developed by both the Hong-Kong based company iFREEGROUP and the New York-based smart technology company Veea, is another clip-on screen device that attaches to any shopping cart. The screen can utilize facial recognition to identify the past purchasing behavior of a shopper and then customize product suggestions specific to the particular person. Grocery store owners appreciate that the technology also provides data analytics of the shoppers’ decisions. TROLLEE has been gaining considerable buzz after the brand was showcased at the Innovation Lab from the National Retail Federation’s conference in January. The TROLLEE technology is already being utilized in multiple supermarkets in China, Malaysia, Thailand and France, and the brand is hoping to also expand into more U.S. supermarkets as well.
