Coming soon to a supermarket near you: high-tech shopping carts. Many grocery stores have been experimenting with everything from digital coupons to smart-shopping carts that keep track of how much you're spending. MARKETPLACE's Bob Moon is here to tell us more.
Bob, what exactly are these carts going to do, and who's going to pay for all these new high-tech systems?
BOB MOON: Yeah. Hi, Alex.
You know, remember when this used to be the sound of high-tech at your supermarket?
(Soundbite of computer cash register)
MOON: Yeah. I used to think that it was really clever that the cash register could talk to me.
COHEN: Is that what it's doing?
(Soundbite of laughter)
MOON: It's telling me what the price is. Well, when these things go on the market or in the market, as you will, these new shopping carts that we were just talking about - you'll be targeted with advertising. These shopping carts will be equipped with a screen that carries ads. And there will be promotions that can be aimed specifically at a shopper's particular buying habits. And you might ask, well, how will they know? How will the shopping cart know who I am?
Well, the software giant Microsoft is behind this venture. It's spent several years working with a Texas-based company called MediaCart Holdings. And Microsoft recently acquired an online advertising company that will be able to display video ads on the grocery carts.
Well, the lure here is convenience. The companies say that shoppers will be able to log onto a Web site and type in their grocery list and it will be link to the loyalty card that you use for your particular supermarket. And when you arrive at the store, you swipe your card through a slot on the cart, up pops your shopping list. And then as you put groceries in your cart, the gizmo keeps a running tally of how much you're spending. It can also help you locate particular items. And let's say you're heading into the cereal isle, for example. It can alert you to a special two for one offer for corn flakes or something. And a lot of that will be based on your past grocery purchases, which are, of course, recorded when you use your loyalty card.
COHEN: This is ideal for me. Because I'm the person who writes out the list and then leaves it at home every single time.
(Soundbite of laughter)
COHEN: So how soon might we see one of these carts in your local store?
MOON: Trial runs are supposed to start some time in the second half of this year on the East Coast at ShopRite Supermarkets, to start with.
COHEN: And what about the future of grocery coupons, the kind that you'd clip out of the Sunday magazines? I understand that some stores are trying to get rid of them entirely.
MOON: Yeah. Some of the biggest names in retail are trying out digital technology. It uses a supermarket's loyalty card program as well. Kroger, which is the country's biggest traditional supermarket chain, is working with Procter and Gamble, which is the biggest consumer products company. And the way this works is that you, again, log online. You choose which coupons you want to use and they're then attached to your loyalty card and you get the credit at check-out.
COHEN: Thank you so much, Bob. That is Bob Moon of public radio's daily business show, MARKETPLACE. It's produced by American Public Media.
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