Schnucks rolls out smart carts from Instacart

Schnuck Markets, Inc., and Instacart today announced the companies will expand their omnichannel partnership by deploying Caper Carts, Instacart’s smart carts, in select stores. Caper Carts automatically identify items as they are added to the cart using computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI), allowing customers to bag as they shop, skip the line and seamlessly checkout on the Cart from anywhere in the store. Caper Carts will first roll out at select Schnucks St. Louis stores this fall, with a broader planned rollout later this year following successful initial deployments.

For the first time, select Caper Carts will feature a bottom rack for bulky and heavy items. In addition to fully automated Caper Carts that automatically detect items as they are placed in the cart, Schnucks will also be testing a Lite version, where customers manually scan items before placing them in the Cart. Caper Carts can be wirelessly upgraded with new features offer stacked charging so that they do not have to be plugged in individually or undergo labor-intensive battery swaps.

Customers will also be able to use their Schnucks Rewards account with the Caper Cart – giving them easy access to clipped promotions and allowing them to view deals from the weekly circular as they browse the aisles.

Schnucks has partnered with Instacart to bring its omnichannel strategy to life, and the debut of Instacart’s Caper Carts is the next step in their efforts to connect the online and in-store shopping experience for customers.