From SmartCarts to aisle-roaming robots, supermarkets are harnessing new tech to stay competitive in today’s retail landscape. Interactive AI-powered SmartCarts that personalize and streamline shopping, software that helps forecast product demand, and computer vision recognition technology that’s used to identify products and reduce checkout time are just some of the cutting-edge tools that Westchester grocers are using to improve their businesses.
Customers of ShopRite, which opened a 74,000-square-foot store in Mount Kisco last November, will notice state-of-the-art tech upon entering their stores. They can grab a “Caper Cart,” featuring an interactive touchscreen and a built-in scale; items are weighed and scanned as customers shop. By displaying a running total, the system helps people manage their budget in real time and check out seamlessly, according to Mount Kisco store manager Mackinley Moise. “The SmartCart uses sensors, computer vision technology, and built-in scales to scan items and weigh produce as they are placed in the cart— and it also lets customers link their ShopRite Price Plus card to apply in-store savings and access digital coupons,” Moise explains.
For sustainability and waste reduction, the store uses ESLs, or Electronic Shelf Labels, which replace traditional paper shelf tags and free up associates for other tasks. Prices update automatically and the shelf tag can be paired with delivery apps to more accurately select items for online orders. Moise adds that a forecasting tool is used at the store to help manage inventory, providing information like the impact of weather patterns on supply.
Another futuristic-looking tool, perhaps already familiar to many shoppers is “Tally,” the autonomous inventory robot that roams the aisles to scan and audit store shelves. Developed by Simbe Robotics, it uses sensors, such as cameras and radio frequency identification to check for misplaced and low stock items that need to be replenished.
At a store like Stew Leonard’s, customer experience is central to its success. State-of-the-art solutions are crucial for enhancing systems that improve checkout efficiency, says David Beggs, the director of information technology at the family-owned regional grocery chain with a location in Yonkers.
He describes cutting-edge technology called “produce recognition”: At self-checkout, a customer places an item—an avocado, for example—on a scale, and a camera recognizes it within three seconds, and it then pops up on the purchase screen, eliminating the need to punch in a code. He says that AI is very much the buzzword right now and supermarkets are learning how to use it.
“The potential is limitless” Beggs says. “We’re improving the customer experience with AI that’s built into a tiny camera—I think that’s pretty cool.”
Of course, for those who want to skip the supermarket altogether, there is tech for that too. Samsung recently announced a multiyear partnership with Instacart for its new 2025 Bespoke refrigerator. Without leaving the kitchen, you can replenish your grocery items using Vision AI food recognition technology; items that need to be restocked are identified and then ordered directly from a screen on the fridge, with same-day delivery via Instacart.
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