Carrefour considers testing Instacart’s Caper digital shopping trolley in Belgium. The two parties are currently in discussions. Should an agreement materialise, Carrefour would become the first retailer to test Caper trolleys in the country.
The retailer thinks about piloting the technology at two locations, according to trade magazine Retail Detail. The first stores to be equipped could include a Carrefour hypermarket and a franchised supermarket in Waterloo, south of Brussels.
The Caper solution combines computer vision, integrated scales and AI-powered sensors to identify products as shoppers place them in the trolley. A large interactive touchscreen displays a running total in real time, highlights relevant promotions and allows customers to complete their purchase by scanning a barcode at the store’s self-checkout area. This eliminates the need to unload and rescan items at checkout.
Belgium’s smart trolley race gathers pace
“We were impressed by the range of AI-driven features and the new customer experience possibilities this technology could unlock in-store,” said Matthieu Ullens, Carrefour Belgium’s E-Commerce, Data and Digital Transformation Director, when the Caper trolley was showcased earlier this year at a trade show of the retailer.
The choice of Waterloo for a potential trial would echo competitor Colruyt’s deployment of its home-developed Smart Cart in a limited number of stores, including one in the same area earlier this year. Instacart’s Caper solution, meanwhile, has already been deployed across North America and more recently tested by Morrisons in the UK.
