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What's Happening
- UK supermarket chain Morrisons is ending its trial of AI-powered smart grocery carts after partner Instacart decided to wind down the technology.
- Instacart is abandoning its Caper Carts hardware and pulling the technology from US retailers including Schnucks and Wegmans.
- The carts used built-in cameras, scales, and touchscreens to track purchases and enable barcode-scan payments at dedicated checkout lanes.
Why It Matters
The failure of smart carts highlights the limits of consumer-facing retail automation. Shoppers resist learning new checkout behaviors, forcing supermarkets to deploy AI behind the scenes for inventory and supply chain management instead.
The Context
- Morrisons launched the single-store pilot in Preston in July to test scan-as-you-go technology.
- The supermarket chain has seen success with shelf-edge AI cameras that monitor stock levels and automatically reorder depleted items.
What They're Saying
- Instacart stated that retailer adoption failed to scale quickly enough to justify continued investment in the hardware.
- A Morrisons spokesperson said the pilot provided insight into evolving shopping habits and the company will continue developing new solutions.
What to Watch
- Watch for grocery chains to direct AI investments toward backend logistics to predict demand and reduce shortages.
The Bottom Line
Supermarkets are learning that AI delivers better returns when managing inventory behind the scenes rather than altering the customer checkout experience.