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ISSUE 16 | July 2022 MAGAZINE 17INSIDE Property Auto Crosswords Travel Mindset Films Trends Fitness

SHOPPING TROLLIES THAT THINK, FRESHLY GROWING HERBS Welcome to the future supermarket

 TONY EADES

IN the last two years retailers have had to operate at start up speed, rolling out new services to engage customers more effectively in what quickly became a digital-first world.

Now the way we shop at the supermarket is about to be dragged out of the dark ages with new technology.

Our weekly grocery shop will soon see trolleys that can read what’s placed inside it, supermarkets without cashiers and check-outs, in-store greenhouses, and our weekly grocery shop … trolleys that can read what’s placed inside it, supermarkets without cashiers and check-outs, in-store greenhouses, and even voice ordering

The humble shopping trolley was invented back in 1937 when the wire hand-basket became too heavy for shoppers.

Then in 1974, the world of retail was changed forever when a pack of Wrigley chewing gum became the fi rst item in the world to have its barcode scanned in a supermarket.

The 1990’s saw the invention of the self-service checkout with retailers praising their convenience and speed.

However, a 2014 poll found that 93% of shoppers disliked them, with some saying it even drove them to theft.

So, whilst most shoppers like browsing the aisles and fi lling their trolley–no-one likes queueing at the checkout!

Moreover, 61% of customers on a recent survey said that they intend to spend more time online after the pandemic than they did before. With the blurring of the lines between digital and physical channels, shoppers have more channels and options that ever before.

It’s time for a shakeup and fi rst to go will be cashiers and checkouts.

Amazon was the fi rst to introduce cashier-less grocery stores when they rolled out AmazonGo in the US in early 2020.

Using a combination of artifi cial intelligence, computer vision, and data pulled from multiple sensors, customers are tracked and charged as they take items from the shelves.

Now in New Zealand supermarket group Foodstuff s is trialling AI that can help read what you place inside your shopping trolley.

The new tech called the “SMARTCART” automatically scans the item and charges it to your account via an app that you link to the trolley.

How to cater for the customer of today

No more checkout frustration or abandoned trolleys creating a “nuisance to local communities”, and as many Australians embrace contactless pay-

With most shoppers (80%) saying that they would abandon a retailer after just three bad experiences, could we see a return to the nostalgia of the local butcher or grocer where a more personalised experience and better produce beckons – even if at a greater price.”

ments and turn away from using cash post-pandemic, its technology that will be welcomed.

Even your fruit and veg section is getting a modern makeover. Hydroponics will be coming to a store near you and it will transform the way you shop for veggies.

The Metro supermarket in Berlin is one of the fi rst to embrace this kind of technology. Their greens and herbs are actually growing inside their store, in glowing modular boxes ready for you to pick.

Woolworths has also tapped into the concept with fl agship store in Sydney boasting a ‘living lettuce’ fresh food section, where ‘jets of mist’ spray the vegetables until a customer picks them out of the water.

Groceries are the most commonly shopped category via voice with the number of people using voice-ordering technology to order grocery items up already at 20%.

Now Coles supermarket is experimenting with voice-ordering technology with a WIFI device called ‘Hiku’ that’s attached to your fridge.

Notice the milk is getting low, the cheese is fi nished or you are down to your last egg … simply say what you want and have it delivered to you door.

The challenge for Australian retailers is that they are already managing an average of 44 disparate front-end technology systems.

They also have to cater for two types of customer today – the ‘technophiles’, those who are enthusiastic about new tech and the ‘technophobes’ who fear, dislike, or avoid new technology.

There is a danger that the supermarkets of the future will become too effi cient and automated that they feel cold and lifeless.

Technology should replace mundane, repeatable tasks and allow the human employees to interact and deliver true customer service in the store, helping you fi nd what you’re looking for in the aisles.

With most shoppers (80%) saying that they would abandon a retailer after just three bad experiences, could we see a return to the nostalgia of the local butcher or grocer where a more personalised experience and better produce beckons – even if at a greater price.