Most of us have a smartphone by now, but have you ever used a smart cart at the grocery store? And how easy is it for buying fresh produce, compared to shelf-stable, consumer packaged goods, those center-store foods?
I tried the Dash Cart at an Amazon Fresh store in Schaumburg, Ill. and documented the experience so that you can see what it’s like if you can’t try it yourself yet.
The Dash Cart uses computer vision algorithms and sensor fusion to help identify items placed in the cart so shoppers can grab an item, scan it on one of the Dash Cart cameras and place it in the cart like you normally would.
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You enter the store and scan the QR code on your phone’s Amazon app to get started, and when you’ve got all the produce that you can eat in your cart, you head to Dash Cart check-out line, where you just sail right through (although an employee did a quick security check). Sensors will log that you’re finished shopping and the bill will be paid by the credit card that’s on your Amazon account. A receipt comes by email.
For more news on contactless shopping, look for the September-October issue of PMG magazine, The Packer’s magazine for produce retailers. When it’s ready, the digital version of the magazine will be available on ProduceMarketGuide.com, under the Resources menu tab.
