Dutch supermarket operator Jumbo is introducing handheld scanners games turning grocery shopping into fun for children aged three to eight. The retailer plans to roll out the feature across all its 700+ stores across the Netherlands and Belgium by next year.
Children use the scanners to search and scan ingredients across the store, unlocking minigames to create dishes such as soup, salad or pizza. The feature, dubbed Mini Chef, aims to encourage children to recognise ingredients and learn about food while giving parents more time to complete their shopping.
The children’s scanners are disconnected from the purchasing process, meaning scanned products are not actually added to the shopping basket. No registration is required and the retailer emphasises that no data is stored.
Limited to a handful of scanners per store
The game runs on the regular handheld scanner hardware from Zebra. Jumbo is therefore limiting availability to five active children’s scanners per store to ensure that regular customers can still access the self-scanning service.
Following initial trials in three Dutch stores, the solution is now available in approximately a hundred locations in the Netherlands and Belgium. This number is expected to triple by next month before completing the nationwide rollout across both countries by 2027.
