Be Careful if You Use a 'Smart Cart' at The Supermarket
- 48 minutes ago
- 2 min read
One of the many promises of artificial intelligence is that it will help us do everything better. Work faster, research more seamlessly, and perhaps be more financially prudent? Well, not exactly. Research suggests that AI-assisted shopping may end up making you spend (a lot) more.
AI shopping assistants can now suggest recipes, recommend products and even build an entire grocery cart from a simple request. Walmart’s Sparky, for example, can turn a “What’s for dinner?” prompt into meal ideas and add the ingredients to a shopper’s order. There's just one catch for those trying to save money: People using these AI tools appear to be buying more.
According to money.com, Albertsons, Walmart and Instacart have all reported larger baskets or higher sales among shoppers using their AI-powered shopping assistants.
This is supported by a new study from the University of London, which discovered that shoppers who used AI-powered shopping carts spent a whopping 32 percent more at the supermarket than those who stuck with an ordinary trolley. That increase in spend cannot, surely, simply be down to men actually remembering to buy everything on the shopping list.
The researchers set out to measure the impact of a digitized shopping experience on consumer behaviour, and by extension, retailer profits. The tool of choice was a "smart trolley," a regular cart fitted with a tablet on the handlebar. These screens let shoppers digitize their shopping lists, receive personalized product recommendations, get in-store navigation, and pay without ever queuing at a checkout. In theory, a friendlier, frictionless trip. In practice, possibly a rather effective upselling machine. The technology also resulted in people buying more items and lingering longer in the aisles.
Lead author Dr. Sabrina Gottschalk says this as a real revenue opportunity for stores. Beyond steering customers toward offers and new products, she noted that going digital ramps up engagement and gives retailers a fresh advertising platform right on the handlebar.
