Smarter Shopping Carts @ Loblaws Superstore
Tonight I was picking up some groceries on the way home from work at the Superstore on Dundas and Trafalger. On my way in with my green bins a guy was standing with a shopping cart that had a computer with a touch screen mounted on the handle. He showed me how to flip through the current flyer and how to search for products in the store and off I went.
Current Flyer without paper!
I found myself playing with it while waiting for the meat counter, checking out the flyer which is sorted by category (fruit, bread, meat, etc.). Flipping the pages seemed really slow, there was a way to jump around in the categories but it was also kind of slow and clumsy.
I found myself looking at the screen instead of looking where I was going though. Which was ok since the store wasn’t that busy but expect more “accidents” in the aisles as people look at the screen instead of where they are going.
Product Searches
I tried to search for “paprika” – which I didn’t know how to spell – there didn’t seem to be a suggestion system to help me fumble through. So I searched for “pap” and almost everything in the store came up. The down arrow to move through the list only took me one entry at a time, I didn’t see a way to skip pages. Spices were in aisle 10 in this store.
Recipes
There was a recipe tab. I didn’t check it out, but it would be nice if it could see things you put in your cart and then suggest popular recipes. For example if I put a whole chicken in my cart (and it could detect that – I don’t think the one I had could do that) it could suggest I get some fresh rosemary, a few lemons some potatoes, carrots and parsnips (other root veggies) to make a nice roasted chicken. You could probably do the same for other things like ribs, beef, sausages, etc. It seems to stem from the main in meal though so you’ll be jumping all over the store instead of orderly getting things — I have a route of produce, meat, dairy, dry goods, checkout and I don’t like to back track. It would be better if the cart could inspect your list made on the web, and then make suggestions directly on your shopping list.
Location Within The Store
I didn’t see any features using my location within the store to trigger changes on the device. I’d like to have seen the top produce, meat, dairy, sales pop up on the screen as I walked through the store so I didn’t have to flip pages. It just shows up when you are in the location. That would be neat. Also notify me if I forgot something on my shopping list when I get to the checkout.
The device did turn off when it realized I had left the store and entered the parking lot. That was smart. ;)
Scanning
There is no on-board scanner for products. You have to search by name, not bar code. That’s a pain. One feature I’d like to see is grabing a bottle of ketchup and scanning the bar code. The price, and details should pop up on the screen along with a list of all the competitors ketchups based on popularity (they know how much they sell of each) with any that may be on sale at the top of the list. That would be great!
Login
I’m not sure what the login button was for, but I can see lots of cool features for its use. For example, you could create an account on Superstore.ca for your family. Then instead of creating a paper shopping list you simply add items you need to your online list tied to your account. Then when Mom or Dad get to the store they log into the cart and your shopping list that is tied to the account is pulled in through the wireless connection! Very smart. Multiple people maintain the list and anyone can fill it.
The problem would be if two people tried to shop at the same time and came home with duplicates of everything. There was a button to mark things as “crossed off” your list. I doubt that is real time though.
Even more neat would be if two carts were logged in to the same account and were working off the same list collaborating – I’ll get the meat and cheese, you get the bread and veggies. Divide and conquer.
We only put “eggs” on our list, not “Lifestyle free range white eggs”. That gives me some freedom to get the cheapest eggs that meet our needs. Not sure how flexible the grocery list can be. If it’s tied to UPC codes and specific products or “groups” can be assigned. For instance I often get a list with “fruits” and “vegetables” which means – “get the basics like bananas, apples, carrots, celery and cooking onions and then if something else looks good is well priced and is in season buy it!”.
By logging in and associating a group of people or person with a set of data they can learn your preferences and guide you to what you normally buy.
Nutrition & Allergy Information
I’d like to see more nutrition and allergy information available on the details screen. I didn’t look specifically for it for the short time I had the cart, but I didn’t notice it either.
Summary
Overall I see lots of opportunity for these devices on the carts and this is a good start. You can’t have everything in the first instance and I’m sure the company is still trying to figure out if the value of the devices is worth the cost for their customers.
Once RFID tags and easy checkouts can be done it will be even more exciting. Just walk through a reader without having to even stop – you could basically just leave the store and your account will be charged with all your groceries. What a great day that will be. Could you imagine going to the grocery store without waiting in a checkout line. I wonder what they’ll do with all the gum and magazines.