A RIVAL to Trader Joe’s has made a crucial cart change at four of its locations, and has confirmed a huge self-checkout upgrade.
The technological advancement is being tested in one specific area in the US, aimed at making shopping more convenient for customers.
A rival to Trader Joe’s has made a crucial cart change at four of its locations, and has confirmed a huge self-checkout upgrade[/caption]
New self-checkout changes include a new light pole to signal availability to consumers[/caption]
The grocery chain Wegmans is trialling the use of smart carts in four stores in Upstate New York.
These include in Syracuse, two in Rochester and one in the greater Buffalo area.
Wegmans is testing the machines from two separate providers, including the company Instacart and its Caper Carts technology.
Caper Carts allow customers to track spending in real time, log into their loyalty accounts, bag as they shop and pay directly from the cart.
The carts also utilize a combination of cameras, sensors and a digital scale to recognize what items you are putting into it.
In a statement to Grocery Dive, Wegmans said: “We are limiting the program to these stores as we gather customer feedback to drive improvements.
“Our goal is to determine if Smart Cart Technology is a fit for the unique shopping assortment offered in our stores and if it meets the shopping needs of our customers.”
Wegmans has also made a recent change to its self-checkouts, with new machines that do not take cash and feature a new light pole to signal availability to consumers.
The grocery commented on this: “Many of our stores already have the new self-checkouts and others will be gradually upgraded.”
NEW INNOVATIONS
Wegmans has been testing smart cart technology in its stores for several years now.
In 2024, Wegmans piloted smart carts at three stores, including including Perinton and Pittsford in New York.
At the same time, Instacart has been making upgrades to its model.
Recently, Instacart launched shoppable displays and started testing online delivery offers for customers checking out on the smart carts.
The company confirmed that it had fitted its carts with tech to better recognize items in real-time with lower latency.
Latest self-checkout changes
Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed up checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at various locations were made available only for Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed during specific hours, and more cashiers were offered instead.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting fueled the updates, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would stop the fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, that test run has been phased out.
At Target, items are being limited at self-checkout.
Last fall, the brand surveyed new express self-checkout lanes across 200 stores with 10 items or less for more convenience.
As of March 2024, this policy has been expanded across 2,000 stores in the US.
Shoppers have also spotted their local Walmart stores restricting customers to 15 items or less to use self-checkout machines.
Last year also saw the addition of location-based coupons and aisle-aware advertising formats to the smart carts.
In the “future“, Instacart plans to test store-shelf scanning from the carts.
Instacart has been partnered with Wegmans since 2017, when it launched its same-day delivery scheme.
Since then, it has expanded its collaboration to include loyalty card integration into the policy.
Instacart is growing the list of companies using its Caper Cart technology.
Recent sign-ons include Heritage Grocers Group, Weis Markets, Geisslers, Kroger, Schnuck Markets and Wakefern Food.
