These shopping carts can revolutionize shopping. However, there is a certain “but”
One of the largest Australian stores plans to introduce shopping carts with artificial intelligence. Although they have many advantages, politicians are already afraid of a certain function.
Australian supermarket giant Coles announced that it is introducing an artificial intelligence-enabled trolley in its stores. Smart shopping carts are supposed to have a lot of conveniences for customers. First of all, they have numerous sensors and scales built into them, which allows you to scan products immediately after putting the product inside.
A long list of amenities for artificial intelligence strollers
Moreover, all products added to the cart are immediately counted, so the customer can be sure that there will be “no surprises” in the final settlement. It will also help with planning expenses. The product purchasing process itself is to be available directly in the carts. There will be no need to take them to the cash register.
“As the first retailer in Australia to introduce AI-enabled shopping carts, we are excited to offer our customers a convenient and engaging way to shop in store, helping them save time, manage their budget and check out faster,” said Ben Hassing, chief digital officer at Coles. .
Coles’ idea is controversial
Although Coles’ proposal is somewhat groundbreaking, it is not the first chain to decide on such a solution. Coles shopping carts were created by New York software developers Instacart, who introduced their product in several foreign stores at the beginning of the year.
However, foreign attempts to introduce artificial intelligence carts were not so successful, and customers often refused their “services”. To prevent this from happening in the case of Coles, the chain decided to introduce special offers for customers who decide on such a solution.
Politicians raise an uproar over the store’s idea
What is most controversial is the fact that Woolworths, another company behind the smart trolleys, boasts that they are designed to increase impulse purchases and that they have the ability to display personalized ads depending on the buyer’s preferences.
Although there is no information that such a mechanism will be used in Coles trolleys, it is already raising concerns among politicians. – This is an incredibly invasive technology that literally tracks your movements, your purchase history in real time as you move from aisle to aisle – said Green Party senator and digital rights advocate David Shoebridge. – In many ways, it’s like turning an entire supermarket into those last five meters, that gauntlet you run through on your way to the checkout, he added.
