The Editors' Perspectives column provides insights and opinions from the Retail TouchPoints editorial team as we dig into the latest trends in retail, marketing, and technology.
This month, Retail TouchPoints has been exploring the current state of autonomous checkout experiences in our “From Self-Checkout to Just Walk Out” series. Simply put, no one is a big fan of self-checkout kiosks, but that doesn't mean they're going anywhere anytime soon. Fully autonomous stores like Amazon's Just Walk Out are also a little ahead of their time, finding success primarily in small, targeted environments like arenas and hospitals.
However, there is an area in the middle of self-checkout that is currently growing by leaps and bounds: smart carts. What better way to learn more about this new technology than to try it out for yourself? Luckily, my local ShopRite had just started offering Instacart's Caper Carts, so I was able to save my weekly groceries. I had the opportunity to complete several tasks while shopping (talk about multitasking).
Smart Cart: How retailers can “get their foot in the door”
A smart cart is essentially a self-checkout kiosk on wheels that allows shoppers to ring when they add items to their cart.
“We're seeing a lot of interest in localized smart checkout scenarios, especially in grocery stores, supermarkets, and mass retailers,” said Sandeep Unni, senior director and retail analyst in Gartner's research and advisory division. said in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “The smart shopping cart is [an easy way for] Retailers step in [autonomous checkout]. Although the barrier to entry is lower compared to store-wide autonomous implementations, smart carts have similar technology, still using computer vision and AI, and often using weigh scales to weigh produce. is provided. Smart cards do not replace the traditional shopping experience; they are merely an addition to it. ”
Loyalty membership promotions and coupons take up half the screen. (Retail touchpoint)
One of the largest smart cart companies expanding into retailers is Instacart's Caper Carts. The grocery e-commerce platform acquired Caper Carts in 2021, and CEO Fidji Simo said during the company's first-quarter earnings call earlier this month that thousands of the carts will be installed in supermarkets across the U.S. by the end of 2024. He said he expected it. Attractive for retailers is the recent introduction of advertising functionality on smart cart screens, offering an opportunity to increase revenue.
Amazon is another big player in the smart cart space and has the added advantage of its own brick-and-mortar footprint. In April, the company announced it would remove Just Walk Out technology from Amazon Fresh stores and double down on Dash Carts instead. In addition to rolling out to all fresh food stores, Dash Cart is already available at select Whole Foods stores and many non-Amazon retailers.
“At large grocery stores, where customers make big weekly trips and buy more items, so far customers have been able to use the same advanced computer vision technology as Just Walk Out,” Amazon said in a statement. I prefer the Amazon Dash Cart, which uses Amazon. Regarding changes to fresh stores. “At these big-box stores, Dash Carts not only help customers skip the checkout line, but act as a shopping companion that moves with them through the store, helping them find products on-screen with maps and navigation. , helps you get a personalized shopping experience, while simultaneously tracking your savings and spending in real-time. ”
So what happens when you actually shop with a smart cart?
There are scanners inside the carts and clear signs stating that children are not allowed. (Retail touchpoint)
Let me just say right off the bat, there's one person who isn't a fan. That's my girlfriend's 4 year old daughter. She accompanied me on my Saturday research trip, but she didn't have a seat of her own, and worse, I couldn't ride next to her for fear of upsetting her. (which, to be fair, a 4-year-old can easily do). Built-in scale.
Now, if the only unhappy customers are cranky kids, I think smart carts still have a bright future. However, I myself was not a big fan.
Caper Cart Product Experience. (Retail touchpoint)
I'm tech-savvy enough — I write about retail tech for a living, after all — that I personally found the carts pretty easy to use, but they still have some major issues. As with most autonomous solutions, the biggest one is with produce. Caper Carts has a weighing scale built into the cart basket, which works pretty well, but you still need to find the PLU of the item and enter it into the cart's touchscreen.
Now, these PLUs are usually easy to spot on the nice little stickers on most fruits and vegetables. Unless, of course, there are no stickers. The upside was that I learned things I didn't know, courtesy of a friendly Caper Carts representative. A friendly Caper Carts representative helped put us newbies at ease. PLU is the last 4-5 digits of her SKU, so you can also find it by searching. At the shelf label. Still, I'd put that process pretty high on the friction scale.
Price tracking is a key benefit of smart carts, but the drawbacks outweigh them
Your cart total and savings will be displayed prominently at the top of your screen throughout your shopping experience. (Retail touchpoint)
Another point that the Caper Carts representative pointed out to me during my short training session was the benefit of being able to see prices and totals right away while shopping. Those grapes cost $17 after all?! No, that's fine. I'll put it back on the shelf right away.
This is one of the great benefits of these mobile cash registers, especially at a time when grocery prices are soaring and many of us are strapped for change. Another money-saving feature: When I logged into my cart using my ShopRite rewards card, I was able to see promotions and add coupons right on the cart screen.
Unfortunately, in my case there were too many other drawbacks.
Error popup indicating that an item was added or removed incorrectly. (Retail Touchpoint) First (and most important to me), it didn't save me time. Taking the extra time to enter all the produce, make sure everything you put in your cart is populated correctly, and clearing errors (which happened several times) can add up to a lot of wait time throughout the trip. It ended up taking as long as it would have taken if I had stood in line and had someone else do all the work. Since it was my first time, I have to insert a caveat that it might be slower than normal users. As with any technology, the more you get used to it, the easier and faster it will be to use. The second big problem was that the cart wasn't big enough (even without my daughter in it). I have a family of four and he shops once a week, so it's hard to go out grocery shopping. The Caper Carts representative initially told me that he could probably only fit about 55 items in the cart. Of course, this is just a baseline and there will be some variation based on the size of the item you get. Anyway, after curating the list, he just ended up with 55 items, at which point his cart was full. In addition to the fact that I needed more things and couldn't get them, the camera sensors in the top four corners of the cart definitely started getting more finicky as the cart filled up. This was probably because the items were obstructing the view. No matter how you look at it, it's not suitable for large purchases. Third, and this is relatively unimportant, you have to go through checkout to pay. While it's definitely much easier than a typical self-checkout, as all you have to do is scan the screen on your cart, it still doesn't save you time during high-traffic hours without having to wait in line. There is a possibility.
Checkout experience. (Retail touchpoint)
Using the smart cart reminded me of my first self-checkout experience. I didn't like the technology at first, but over time I got used to it and got better at it. Still, for big trips, I always go through the manned lanes.
In contrast, my first experience with an autonomous store was nothing short of magical, and I completely understood the concept in a specific retail environment. If you've ever been to a trade show at Javits in New York (or any trade show in a convention center, really), you know what a waste of time and fun it is to buy lunch. . There aren't enough places nearby and there's always a terrible line. It's a terrible line that lasts for 30 minutes. But two years ago at the NRF Retail Conference, Amazon installed a JWO store (now permanent) in the main concourse. Desperate after seeing the lines at the food hall, I pushed through my fears and gave it a try. Now you don't have to go anywhere else to eat at Javits.
However, when it comes to smart carts and weekly ShopRite trips, I'm going to stick with my regular old analog shopping cart for now.
