High Tech Shopping Carts Are Coming To Wegmans. Here's What We Know
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the market for cashiers is expected to decline by 10% in the next ten years. Realistically, there could be a time in the near future when customers won't even remember the days they needed to wait in line to checkout. So what's affecting this prediction? It's not express lanes or self-checkouts. According to Forbes, it's all about the new computer technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced sensors that are forever altering the grocery store experience.
Living in a world with vast access to technology, it's inevitable that even something as mundane as a trip to the grocery store is evolving. Per AI Multiple, those changes are already showing up at popular grocery destinations like Aldi. The German-born chain has started testing automated checkout options where customers can simply scan an app upon entering, and automatically pay upon exit.
In 2020 mega-retailer Amazon introduced a similar concept with its smart shopping cart available at select Whole Foods stores: The Amazon Dash cart. Per Research and Markets, the market for the smart shopping cart is expanding and there's no need to download an app to participate, it's all waiting at the store for you. The smart cart is making its appearance at other select food markets, like Wegmans. That's right Wegmans fans, high-tech shopping carts are coming to the chain. Here's what we know.
Wegmans gives the smart cart a trial roll
While a high-tech checkout experience was recently limited to only a few stores, it's slowly expanding to a whole new space of shopping destinations. Just look at Wegmans. The company recently partnered with Israeli startup Shopic to create its very own smart shopping carts (via Winsight Grocery Business). Wegmans is currently testing the new smart technology in two select stores located in Amherst and Rochester, New York, where it will gather feedback about the carts before deciding to move forward. According to a Wegmans spokesperson, the company has no plans to expand the project beyond its trial basis as of now (per Grocery Dive). It's safe to say the chain is treading lightly following the cancellation of its scan-and-go app last year due to theft and other financial losses.
So, how does the Wegmans smart shopping cart work? Selected shoppers can take the clip-on touchscreen unit and attach it to a regular cart. Using computer vision, the cart will automatically scan products as shoppers put them in the carts with the touchscreen displaying information like product price, discounts, cart total, and more. The best part of the smart cart? Shoppers can skip lines and pay for items directly on the attachment. So while the jury is still out on the future of smart carts at Wegmans — the technology surely is spreading. And if you're thinking what we are thinking, then you're adding Guy Fieri's favorite Wegmans tomato sauce to your cart.