How supermarket technology is changing how we shop
A plethora of supermarkets across the United States, Britain, and Australia have recently introduced new technology to make shopping seamless and simple, ultimately saving their customers time.
These innovations include interactive smart carts, grab-and-go kiosks, and same-day click-and-collect pickup points.
How many of them have you tried?
ShopRite Supermarkets
Major Walmart rival ShopRite has introduced new interactive smart carts—but only stores in Monticello and Liberty, New York, will benefit… for now.
Known as Caper Carts, the technology is designed by Instacart to enable shoppers to add items to their trolley and have them automatically scanned at checkout.
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This is thanks to an onboard barcode reader and built-in 80-pound produce scale, as explained by the US Sun.
The publication reports that as you put an item in your cart, a picture and its cost will appear on a tablet screen, which shoppers can use to pay and check out once they’re done shopping.
Price Plus Club members can also scan their cards to cash in on discounts and earn points.
To leave the store with your groceries, you just need to head to the self-checkout area, pay and leave via the cart’s tablet.
Don’t worry if you don’t fancy the ShopRite Caper Cart experience as traditional carts, self-checkout kiosks, and staffed checkout lanes will still all be in operation.
Sainsbury’s
Over in the United Kingdom, supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has launched a new AI tool to help customers plan meals in seconds and fill their trolleys just as quickly.
Anyone who downloads the Sainsbury’s app will now see SmartLists. To use it, all you need to do is type prompts like ‘ingredients for carbonara’ or ‘items to make homemade pizza’.
The chain said the AI app is designed for busy consumers who want a no-fuss approach to their weekly grocery shop.
“SmartLists is designed to take the effort out of creating and buying a shopping list, whether customers are typing, speaking or taking a picture of what they need,” said Ben Edge, director of product at Sainsbury’s.
“Alongside this, by bringing more of our services together in one app, we’re making it easier for customers to plan their shop, build their basket and find products in store, however and whenever they choose to shop with us.”
There’s also a built-in Product Finder to help you locate each of the items you need in your local supermarket, as reported by The Sun.
Morrisons
Earlier this month, Morrisons revealed plans to trial its new StrongPoint Click & Collect lockers.
Set to expand collection slots and eliminate customer wait times, shoppers can place their three-bag order online and pick it up seamlessly from the lockers.
Skipton in North Yorkshire is set to act as the pilot for the collection model, with the business claiming it is a ‘high-volume Click & Collect store with a full online offer’.
Morrisons says the store's Click & Collect orders will be fulfilled through the locker system, including same-day ordering.
“We know customers want Click & Collect to be quick, convenient and flexible, and our new locker solution is designed to be exactly that,” said Charlotte Exell, Group Online Director at Morrisons.
“By bringing StrongPoint’s proven technology to our stores, we can offer more collection slots while removing the wait for colleagues to bring orders to customers' cars. We're excited to bring a simpler, more seamless Click & Collect experience to our Skipton customers.”
Kmart
Anyone heading to an Australian Kmart may find that their local is now equipped with ‘clever’ new technology designed to make trips more convenient.
Introducing Select and Collect kiosks, huts that ‘remove friction by providing access to products that may not always be available on the shop floor’, including large, bulky items such as bikes, swimming pools, and trampolines.
Once they've found an item they want, a receipt will be printed and customers can head straight to the checkout to pay, as per Yahoo Lifestyle.
Unlike traditional click and collect, the select and collect is instant, with staff even on hand to help you take the item out into your car.
Matthew Hallal, Kmart Group’s general manager for customer and team member experience, explained to the publication that the innovation is a ‘quick and convenient way to collect purchases without needing to queue or navigate a busy store’.
“It's a good example of how we're using technology to make shopping simpler and more convenient, while keeping human service at the heart of the Kmart experience.”
Ella Scott