Instacart Brings Its AI Trolley to Morrisons

Instacart and Morrisons launched Caper smart trolleys at Morrisons' Preston supermarket on July 28, bringing AI-powered in-store shopping technology to the UK for the first time through a trial that makes Morrisons the first British supermarket to deploy the system.

The trolley eliminates the traditional checkout interaction for customers who use it. Items are recognized automatically as they are placed inside, including fresh produce, which is weighed on the trolley itself, according to the press release. 

A touchscreen shows the running basket total throughout the shop, and shoppers scan their Morrisons More Card directly on the trolley to access loyalty savings and promotions without a separate scanning step. At the end of the trip, a barcode on the trolley's screen is scanned at a dedicated Caper checkout lane to complete payment.

"Caper smart trolleys represent a new era for in-store grocery shopping, one where the physical store is as intelligent and personalized as the best online experience," said David McIntosh, Chief Connected Stores Officer at Instacart. "Customers want technology that helps them stay on budget and discover products they love, and Caper smart trolleys deliver both, directly in the aisle."

The UK launch follows Instacart's established deployment across more than 100 cities in the US and Australia, where the system has achieved NPS scores above 70 according to the company.

The consumer research behind the UK launch points to two specific pain points the trolley is designed to address simultaneously. Instacart commissioned Researchscape International to survey UK consumers and found that 54% enjoy discovering products they were not originally looking for, but that the weekly shop is typically done on autopilot rather than with genuine browsing. 

At the same time, 53% of UK consumers have passed on groceries because they were unsure they could afford them, and 46% cite loyalty programs as their preferred budgeting tool, according to the press release.

The Caper trolley addresses both with the same touchscreen, product recommendations and promotions serve the discovery use case, while the running basket total and instant More Card access address the budget concern. 

"We're proud to be the first UK retailer to bring this technology to our customers, and we look forward to seeing how shoppers in Preston and across Lancashire respond to this innovative new trolley in this in-store trial," said Gordon Macpherson, Productivity Director at Morrisons.

Morrisons operates approximately 500 supermarkets and around 1,700 Morrisons Daily convenience stores across the UK, employing around 95,000 people. Caper trolleys are part of Instacart's Connected Stores suite, designed to help grocers bridge the online and in-store shopping experience.