Smart carts serve as moving check-out machines, enabling customers to bypass service counters and lines altogether. Some carts even collect prices as you shop before automatically submitting the transaction at checkout.

These carts track where shoppers in Syracuse NY are in the store and which shelves they linger over, providing valuable data that allows grocers to understand floor layout and other ways to drive sales. Some carts include scales that can also scan produce department scanners to access produce bar codes printed by them.

Reduced labor costs

Smart carts give grocers the tools to reduce labor costs. For instance, this technology can track customer checkouts and take over some of the tasks employees used to perform at cash registers, freeing workers up for other duties such as restocking shelves or supporting customers with their needs.

Israel-based WalkOut provides an autonomous checkout system that can be added to existing carts, turning them into autonomous points of sale. Their technology employs machine vision for scanning and identifying items placed into or removed from the cart; according to Israeli grocery chain Shufersal’s pilot program they were shown to increase shoppers’ monthly basket value by 8 % while driving an extra 5 percent increase in sales.

Other technologies can enhance shoppers’ experiences by offering them tailored offers and coupons. Veeve lets consumers see their running total and apply discounts from their mobile phone using its application.

Increased customer satisfaction

Smart carts collect data that brick-and-mortar retailers can use to optimize their operations, such as when showing long waits at deli counters which could indicate staffing issues. Furthermore, these carts offer insight into shopping patterns which enable companies to offer tailored promotions or recommendations directly to their customers.

Smart carts also enable shoppers to bypass checkout lines by paying with credit or debit cards; smart carts will notify customers when it is time for them to leave the store.

Shopic is offering an innovative solution to this dilemma – an Israeli startup providing a plug-and-play technology solution for traditional grocery carts to transform them into smart ones with off-the-shelf hardware and machine learning software running seamlessly in tandem.

Improved inventory management

Smart carts fitted with RFID sensors enable customers to scan and pay for their purchases without the assistance of a cashier, cutting down checkout queues and increasing customer satisfaction while decreasing operational costs.

As well, carts provide retailers with invaluable insights into popular products and shopping trends that they can leverage to optimize store layouts and implement targeted marketing strategies.

An intelligent cart, for instance, can display an alert on its screen if a product nearing its expiration date is nearing expiration and therefore help reduce food waste while promoting sustainability.

Israeli startup Shopic provides grocers with a clip-on touchscreen device they can attach to traditional shopping carts to instantly make them smart. According to Shopic’s estimates, its solution increases shoppers’ basket sizes by 78% while simultaneously cutting customer visits from 24 minutes down to just 24. However, investing in advanced technologies such as these requires significant up-front investments, which may deter some retailers.

Improved security

As physical stores struggled to meet customer demand for self-checkout technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, stores found solutions that kept shoppers safe while streamlining checkout process – creating smart carts equipped with systems allowing them to scan items themselves or pay via an app on their smartphone.

Smart carts feature image recognition cameras paired with weight sensors that scan products that are added. Once identified, these carts tally totals and coupons; some even feature functionality to notify a customer from meat/deli departments when their order is ready to pick up.

Smart carts come in two forms – full-cart models that retail stores must purchase, and clip-on devices grocers can attach to existing carts – both proven effective in shortening wait times and freeing up front-line employees to focus on providing customer service or maintaining aisles.