Canadian chain tests smart shopping carts to reduce time in the checkout line

Sobeys counts on a system to account items in real time, weighting products and offering payment options

In order to avoid friction among its customers and the checkout lines, the Canadian supermarket Sobeys created a shopping cart solution.  The equipment, which is still being tested, is available in the store located in the city of Oakville, Ontario, in Canada.

When putting a product in the cart, the system accounts the product price and the customer is able to learn in real time how much the purchase will cost. In addition to the product scanner, the cart also weights products if necessary. After taking all the products in the list, the customer can pay straight in the cart, using a terminal integrated to the device.

Shopping behavior

Other of the smart cart’s feature is helping the customer to find the products in the store, suggesting items as well as offers the supermarket is promoting. On the other hand, the cart collects data on the customer’s shopping habits such as the most abandoned items, the most hard to find items, and how they walk around the point of sale.

According to Caper, the company who developed the model, the equipment can increase in 18% the store’s average ticket value. Sobeys has over 1,500 corporate owned and franchised stores.