Sometimes an idea needs a little longer before the market is ready for it. The Smart Shopper is a good example. Around 20 years ago, retailers were already exploring how a conventional shopping trolley could become an intelligent companion throughout the entire shopping journey.
As Head of Engineering/Development at Wanzl, I had the opportunity at the time to develop and present some of the first concepts. At the Microsoft Days 2006 in Brussels, product identification was still based on barcodes (see Microsoft Innovation Days 2006: Wanzl Smart Trolley). At EuroShop 2008, this was followed by an RFID trolley in which products were identified via RFID tags and antennas integrated into the plastic trolley basket.
Both approaches shared one fundamental idea: Products should already be captured in the trolley during the shopping trip – rather than only at the checkout.
At that stage, however, an additional security check based on product weight was not yet part of the concept. This element was introduced later.
Smart Shopper: From shopping trolley to control system
Today, modern Smart Shopper solutions use integrated weighing technology to compare scanned products with the actual contents of the trolley. This provides an additional means of detecting items that have not been scanned or have been scanned incorrectly.
One example is the SmartShopper® EO Complete from EXPRESSO (Expresso SmartShopper). Here, scanning and weighing technology are combined directly within the trolley. EyeQ adds camera and AI functions, extending the Smart Cart with further options for product recognition and control.
Other approaches have also been developed in recent years. These include systems in which the total weight of the trolley is checked at separate weighing stations before payment, such as the “Supersmart S3 Scan & Go Loss Prevention System” from Bizerba (see also Bizerba Supersmart S3 Video and Bizerba Supersmart S3 Documentation).
The technical implementation continues to evolve. But the fundamental question remains the same:
How can a shopping trolley do more than simply transport goods?
The shopping trolley goes digital
Today, a wide range of functions can be integrated directly into the trolley:
- Scanning and product capture
- Display and digital customer guidance
- Weighing cells for plausibility checks
- Payment processes
- Integration with merchandise management and checkout systems
- Loss-prevention functions
- Increasingly, camera- and AI-based product recognition
This fundamentally changes the role of the shopping trolley. It becomes a digital touchpoint in the store.
With conventional self-checkout, the actual digital checkout process usually begins only at the end of the shopping trip. Customers bring their goods to the self-checkout, scan the items and pay.
With a Smart Shopper, this process starts much earlier. Products are captured while the customer is still shopping. Customers can see their basket and running total at any time and receive information exactly where purchasing decisions are made: at the shelf and during the shopping journey.
For retailers, this creates new opportunities. Processes can be managed differently, customers can be guided more effectively, and service functions can be integrated directly into the shopping journey. At the same time, further options emerge for loss prevention and for analysing in-store processes.
Even a miracle cart is a system
At first glance, this may sound like the almost perfect shopping trolley. In practice, however, a Smart Shopper is far more than a trolley with a screen and scanner.
The systems require suitable parking space as well as clearly defined charging, cleaning and service processes. IT connectivity must be reliable. Clear procedures are also needed for age verification, voids, weight discrepancies, missed scans and technical faults.
Commercial viability is another factor. A technically convincing concept is not automatically the right solution for every store.
A small city-centre store with predominantly small baskets has very different requirements from a large supermarket or hypermarket where customers do their weekly shop. Shopping duration, product range, customer profile and existing checkout processes also influence whether a Smart Shopper concept makes sense (see also Retail Engineering: Which self-service solution for which store?)
Smart Shopper: Neither a gimmick nor the universal solution
This is why I see Smart Shoppers neither as a technical gimmick nor as a universal solution for retail. At the same time, I believe they are far more than merely a transitional technology.
They can be a serious component within a retailer’s self-service ecosystem – particularly where larger baskets, longer shopping journeys and high service expectations come together.
However, the discussion should not begin with the question:
“Is a Smart Shopper better than a self-checkout?”
The more useful question is:
“Which self-service solution best fits the store, its customers and its processes?”
Because the same principle applies to Smart Shoppers: technology alone does not determine success. What matters is how well it is integrated into the overall store system.