Carts equipped with this technology add up totals, make recommendations and allow shoppers to pay without waiting in a checkout line. They also help grocers monitor sales more easily while shifting customers out more rapidly, according to Caper, the company behind this innovation.
Carts also display detailed product information on touchscreen displays, helping shoppers in Yonkers NY avoid the frustration of standing in a store aisle trying to decide between two products with limited information available to them.
1. Saves time
Smart carts allow shoppers to save time at checkout by automatically scanning items. Consumers can view running totals, use coupons and add items directly onto their shopping list from the cart’s touchscreen interface.
Technology can also help prevent theft by employing video cameras and scales that detect when products aren’t being correctly scanned. When this happens, retailers can notify customers and ask them to rescan before placing back onto shelves.
However, automation may present problems for some grocers. Many consumers dislike self-checkout machines for the friction they cause; as a result, many are wary about implementing smart carts because consumers could dislike them as well. Therefore, some grocers fear that consumers might take issue with these carts too and become hostile towards them.
2. Saves money
Smart carts give shoppers the ability to view their running total, find and apply coupons, and check out without waiting in line. Meanwhile, for grocery retailers they help learn more about customers and their shopping habits by tracking people as they move throughout their store.
Aggregated over time, this data gives retailers a clear picture of which areas in their store are most visited and allows them to make staffing decisions accordingly. Furthermore, it helps them optimize inventory levels and store layouts.
Amazon’s ceiling and shelf camera system, which requires complete store revamps to implement, has reduced wait times during peak periods dramatically, but this solution may still reduce wait times with smart carts easy to deploy into stores.
3. Reduces stress
Smart carts equipped with self-checkout features can save customers both time and anxiety in line at checkout, saving both precious minutes as well as enabling grocery workers to maintain aisles more effectively while providing superior customer service. Caper, based in Seattle, offers smart carts equipped with this tech that enable its self-checkout feature to allow shoppers to bypass long waits at the register while freeing them up from delivering customer service duties themselves.
Many consumers struggle to make informed shopping decisions without complete and accurate product details, like ingredients or country of origin. Smart carts provide valuable product data such as these features.
Intelligent shopping carts can keep an eye on shoppers’ transaction tally and recommend products personalized for each shopper as part of a shopper’s journey, providing another layer of services and helping grocers better compete against online competitors. However, like any new technology, carts may experience technical glitches that frustrate consumers.
4. Makes shopping easier
These carts use camera and scanning technology to scan items as you place them into your cart, add up totals in real time, display promotional materials to increase sales, and display promotions that may help. According to their maker, when used with its product an average customer’s checkout total typically increases 18%.
MetroClick/faytech and Pentland Firth Software GmbH’s solution, designed for an enhanced shopping experience, enables consumers to create lists before entering stores and activate their cart by scanning their smartphone QR code.
Ramhold notes that the cart can also help reduce food waste by showing customers expiration dates of produce and suggesting items they should buy. Unfortunately, however, one drawback of its efficiency could be less return of unneeded products by customers.
5. Saves energy
Instead of waiting in line at the cashier, smart carts enable customers to independently check-out and make payments themselves – saving both customers’ time as well as freeing up cashier staff to assist more customers on the shop floor.
Carts also track products and update inventory systems so stores know exactly how many items they have on hand at any given moment, which allows them to plan ahead for seasonal spikes in demand periods or pinpoint how long customers spend shopping – thus aiding staffing efforts.
Some smart carts come as full carts while others are smaller devices that grocers can attach to existing carts. A startup called Shopic provides customers with a clip-on that lets them upgrade their existing cart by adding computer vision cameras and touchscreen displays.