The innovative AI-powered shopping trolleys will be trialled in one store before potentially being introduced to further branches across the country as soon as next year
A revolutionary AI-powered shopping trolley is being tested at a major UK supermarket and could roll out nationwide as early as next year.
The cutting-edge trolley lets customers scan products whilst they browse and monitor their spending in real-tme, weigh fresh goods straight in the cart, and pay by scanning a barcode. The high-tech trolleys will boast interactive displays, built-in weighing scales, and AI-driven sensors that guide shoppers through scanning and placing products directly into their baskets.
The smart trolley is undergoing trials at a Morrisons outlet in the UK. It has been developed in partnership with grocery technology company Instacart.
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Shoppers enrolled in Morrisons’ More Card loyalty scheme will be able to utilise the AI trolley, reports the Express.
Whilst the trolley is currently being tested at a single location, the chain indicated it might extend the innovation to additional outlets down the line, according to Retail System.
Gordon Macpherson, Morrisons’ productivity director, explained that the initiative reflects the retailer’s ongoing commitment to using technology to combine the finest elements of online and in-store shopping.
He continued: “We’re excited about bringing the first fully-integrated AI-powered trolleys in the UK to a first store soon and look forward to testing customer response and building understanding of how the technology works within the Morrisons store estate.”
If this trial proves successful and Morrisons customers are smitten, it’s highly likely that other supermarket bigwigs like Aldi and Lidl will roll out their own versions of the AI-enhanced trolley.
Morrisons isn’t the only supermarket giant dabbling in AI to ramp up customer experiences. Waitrose has also dipped its toes into the AI waters, launching a small-scale trial of AI-vision technology in shopping trolleys at its Bracknell store in Berkshire.
The gadget, a brainchild of a collaboration with AI specialist Shopic, utilises AI-based computer vision to automatically recognise items as they’re popped into or taken out of a trolley, eliminating the need for barcode scanning.
The screen keeps shoppers updated with a running total of their purchases and their spending. It also dishes out personalised promotions and assists customers in locating items around the store.
Other retailers across Europe and the United States, including Italian firm Dimar and American giant Walmart, have also begun to embrace the technology.
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