Today Instacart announced a number of new features packaged together with existing ones in the “Connected Stores” bundle, as the company is calling it. This move allows for a more personalized experience both in-store and online for retail shoppers. “We believe the future of grocery won’t be about choosing between shopping online and in-store. Most of us are going to do both. So we want to bring the best of the online shopping experience to physical stores, and vice versa,” Instacart said in its announcement.
One of the main features that is part of Connected Stores is the latest model of Caper Cart, which is an AI-powered smart cart that has a screen designed to help customers navigate the store they’re in. The cart’s outfitted with lots of tech, ranging from scales to computer vision technology, allowing for a scanless shopping experience where customers can drop items in their cart and the cart automatically recognizes what the product is. The cart also allows for its own check out system, so there’s as little hassle as possible.
One interesting addition is Instacart’s new Carrot Tags feature. The tags connect with electronic labels on store shelves and are designed to help customs find products and learn about new items with ease. Connecting with the shelf labels, customers can select items on their phone and the light in the shelf label will flash to highlight the aisle the item is in. These Carrot Tags can also be used to display product information. Scan & Pay is another new feature that allows customers to scan items as they shop and pay using their cellphones, and it has the ability to let customers know what products are EBT SNAP-eligible.
For more information on the new features included in Instacart’s Connected Stores, take a look at the company’s announcement post.
