Supermarketing The Electronic Way
By lexus54
@lexus54 (3572)
Singapore
February 27, 2008 8:13pm CST
This morning, as I logged into Yahoo to get to my email, an article caught my attention, which excited me. It is about the advent of high-tech shopping carts in our supermarkets here. You can view the article here http://news.sg.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1265049. I have worked in IT all my work-life, so you can understand my excitement.
Technology has made it possible for high-tech shopping carts, called "MediaCarts" to be deployed in supermarkets. It is only going on pilot soon but I bet it is going to catch on like wildfire in no time once the viability is tested and proven successful.
The MediaCart has an electronic LCD screen attached to it, like the one you see in the attached image. Shoppers can use the screen to locate items they want by viewing the map of the store they are in. This helps them navigate the store more efficiently. As a shopper comes by certain aisles, advertisements relevant to products there can be triggered, alerting the shopper to promotions available. I guess shoppers should also be able to see item lists, prices and availability information. A further advantage of having a MediaCart is the ability to also have products scanned and paid for without the need for the shopper to stand in line at the checkout counters. I can think of one further advantage of deploying such technology to a supermarket. If a shopper finds that a product is unavailable at the store, and can actually see from the LCD screen which other sister store has stocks of the product, this information can prove to be useful to some shoppers who must get such products.
I did a bit of searching and found that the concept of MediaCarts have also been tried out in places like the US and perhaps in some other countries, but I do not know how advanced the implementation has been worldwide.
So are you a shopper who do your groceries in supermarkets? Are you excited about such an implementation? Have you already experienced using such technology (maybe it is already used in your country)? If you have, tell us what your experience is like and whether you are receptive to this, or it didn't make a difference to your shopping experience. I know I will be excited, and I look forward to the day when I can see MediaCarts in all our supermarket stores.
Ok, the floor is open... over to you!
3 people like this
3 responses
@cheongyc (5072)
• Malaysia
15 Apr 08
This is definitely the shopping of the future! So far what I had experienced is the D.I.Y. casher at the Fred Meyer, where we could scan all the items we bought and paid for it using credit card. The MediaCarts is even advance and it surprise me! It's very convenient for the shoppers and save them a lot of effort and time. Just not sure how they manage the system to prevent theft or cheating. Because it's quite easily exploited by irresponsible people who want to take advantage of the system vulnerability. But still, I am so lazy in shopping (like most of the men), and thus I prefer online shopping or drive-through shopping.
@cheongyc (5072)
• Malaysia
16 Apr 08
Ya, I found your interesting post and I understand the whole concept. It's wonderful. 
You are right. The supermarket management should be setting up some system to prevent theft or cheating. Camera/CCTV is one that I could think of. Besides, all the items should be attached with unique RFID tag so that anything not scanned could be detected. But I doubt it will increase the cost. If the tag could be removed by shoppers for reuse later on, then it defeat the purpose because shopper could detach it before putting it inside the shopping cart.
You are right. The supermarket management should be setting up some system to prevent theft or cheating. Camera/CCTV is one that I could think of. Besides, all the items should be attached with unique RFID tag so that anything not scanned could be detected. But I doubt it will increase the cost. If the tag could be removed by shoppers for reuse later on, then it defeat the purpose because shopper could detach it before putting it inside the shopping cart.
@Perspectives (7131)
• Canada
2 Mar 08
Hi...and thanks for offering such exciting news. I feel as you do think it would be great to have these carts in Super Stores. I don't think they would be of much advantage in smaller, local ones...but I could definitely see that they would make shopping a lot easier in large supermarkets.
Each one is laid out differently and sometimes it can be difficult to navigate and find things. Also when traveling and shopping in unfamiliar stores the MediaCarts would facilitate things and I like that idea a lot. Knowing that the had items in other stores would also reduce time because if you really needed something you'd know where to go instead of driving around.
So, yes, this is exciting news...lets see how long it will be before we actually see them in Canada!
Raia
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
3 Mar 08
I think all those who frequent supermarkets will welcome this innovation. An an IT person (and I guess David will appreciate this too), I'll say that it is technologically possible to have this implemented once the budget is factored in and the software application is proven to be reliable. You never know, one day Mediacarts may be a way of life for all large supermarket chains around the world.
You are right that different stores have different layouts, and for unfamiliar shoppers, this can make Mediacarts even more useful and relevant. The larger the supermarket, the more useful this will prove to be, I reckon. It doesn't have to be confined to supermarkets alone. Huge department stores and toy chains like Toys"R"Us can certainly view this positively for their stores as a way of leveraging on innovation to improve the customers' experience. In Singapore, having to make your way to another branch of a supermarket to buy a product is usually no more than a 15 or 20 minutes drive away, or even less. I guess in bigger countries, the distance and time taken is probably much more, so with the "intelligence" a Mediacart can possibly provide on product availability, the time savings for hunting around for a needed product can really be a plus point.
Thanks as usual for sharing your views. One day if I make a holiday trip to Canada and shop in one of your supermarkets, who knows, I may be greeted with the sight of MediaCarts being wheeled around the place.
1 person likes this
@Perspectives (7131)
• Canada
23 Mar 08
Hello my friend..
Wow...three weeks later and here I am responding to you response the way you regularly do with mine.
When I shared this discussion with David he did find it interesting as well. I can see the benefits you describe and as urban areas continue to spread out I could see where MediaCarts would be a real time-saver.
If you ever come to Canada and you are in Manitoba...let us know. We'd love to meet you...with or without the carts!
Take care..
Raia
@youless (112166)
• Guangzhou, China
2 Mar 08
This is very new for me. And mediacart isn't available here yet. But it sounds so cool and I am sure it'll attract more customers. People all like trying new technology. But here the supermarket is always so crowded, so I am afraid it will cost a big budget to have mediacarts.
