The new trolleys have been rolled out at Preston Riversway
The new AI-powered smart trolleys in Morrisons
Technology seems to be advancing every day, with new gadgets and devices intended to make our lives easier.
We can’t avoid it. New innovations seem to be popping up everywhere – even in supermarkets, with new AI-powered smart trolleys being introduced. Yesterday (Thursday, July 29), it was the first roll-out of said trolleys for Morrisons, with Preston’s Riversway store being the guinea pig.
In collaboration with US company, Instacart, the supermarket giant has launched the Caper smart trolleys bringing “the convenience and intelligence of online shopping directly into the store”. LancsLive reported about these new devices, stating they automatically recognise when items are placed in the trolley and weigh fresh produce on the spot.
Attached to the trolley is a smart touchscreen which displays a shopping basket, much like online shopping, with a running total of everything you’ve picked off the shelves. These can then be placed straight into your shopping bags, meaning you’ve already saved time at checkout.
Since the roll-out came to Preston, we visited the store to try it out for ourselves and were left feeling slightly disappointed.
Upon arrival, two employees were guarding the new smart trolleys, asking each customer whether they wish to try them out for their shop. Friendly and enthusiastic, they introduced me to the new trolleys and I was given a mini demo on how they work.
The trolley is a collaboration with Morrisons and Instacart
While I stood there, around five other customers were also offered a go, but all declined, clearly unfazed by the new technology unveiled before their eyes. The employee guiding me through the new bit of kit, first asking if I have a Morrisons More Card and explained over 150 people had given the new trolleys a spin, with the older generation hesitant at first but enjoying it once they’d tried it out.
After a quick run through, I feel confident with my ability to go out on my own and give it a spin, but I’m immediately stopped in my tracks. The trolley itself is extremely bulky, loud and not a very pleasant experience.
Worlds away from what we’re used to, I’m informed they’re more akin to an American ‘cart’ which aren’t built for easy manoeuvrability. Thinking I’ll get used to it, I head into store and while in the fruit and veg section, I realise I’m the only one who’s opted to try the new trolley.
While everyone else looks on smugly with their baskets and old-fashioned trolleys they’re mockingly well-seasoned on, I clumsily turn the ‘beast’ to try and find the groceries I’m looking for. I scan a pack of olives first of all and I am impressed by how quickly it works.
All you have to do is bring the item six inches from the camera located just behind the handlebar, which is quite impressive. There’s no moving it around to find the right place to scan, the technology recognises the item straight away and you can pack it within seconds.
As I was shown during my mini tutorial at the supermarket entrance, I find out how easy it is to remove items too, as they appear as a list on the right-hand side. To remove, you simply click on the bin emoji and the trolley recognises whether it’s still in there or not by its weight.
I walk around the rest of the supermarket after getting the first item out of the way and I am comfortable with how easy the whole process is. I was also impressed by the display, it’s sleek and very clear, with product special offers visible too.
Fresh produce can be added by clicking the option “Add item by name or code” which is also as easy and as quick as it should be. A running total is visible on the top-right hand corner, as well as a ‘How to’ guide on the top left.
During the end of my shopping trip, I bump into a family (who appear to be the only other ones testing out the trolleys) who note how hard it is to move the trolleys around. They jokingly act out a scene of pushing the ‘beast’ as though it weighs a ton, but really, it’s not far off.
The checkout experience is another where you’re greeted by the friendly staff, which have been very pleasant throughout this experience. They are clearly clued-up on the new rollout and do seem to genuinely want to know how you’re finding the experience.
The employee scans my screen and the items appear on the self-checkout screen, just as they would if you were to manually scan them (like the olden days, remember?) Here you can pay and take your items, already packed up, back to your car where yet another friendly employee awaits to collect your trolley.
Overall, the experience was good and there are genuine moments of genius as the new technology does seem to make shopping a more streamline task. However, the technology, despite it’s clever touchscreen interface, doesn’t seem that new and it’s hard to see past the heavy nature of the trolley itself.
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