The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) raises all sorts of questions about how this will impact life and the economy in the years ahead. Morrisons may have provided an early indication of how it will affect in-store retail.
Making sure that automated checkouts are working is an important retail maintenance priority, but these machines essentially involve the shopper replicating what a member of staff on a manned checkout would do, by using the barcode reader to tally up the bill.
However, the retailer is introducing AI-powered self-checkouts at up to 200 stores, which will be part of a long-term partnership with tech firm Everseen.
These checkouts will offer new services for customers, including:
- Real-time vision to spot items customers may not have scanned and provide on-screen prompts for them to do so.
- The aim is to speed up the use of checkouts and cut queues
- It will be more user-friendly for customers and reduce the need for staff to attend to resolve situations.
This is not a case of AI reinventing the wheel, but taking an existing common feature of the in-store experience and enhancing it, a point emphasised by store support office director Francesca Bezoari.
She remarked: “Our new partnership with Everseen enables us to provide the fast and seamless checkout experience our customers want.”
How Can AI Smart Trolleys Affect In-Store Retail?
This is not the only AI-powered innovation Morrisons is introducing. Last month, the retailer unveiled Caper smart trolleys at its Preston store. The tech uses the principle of online shopping that recognises items as they are loaded into the trolley, with several benefits:
- They weigh produce, which means it can be bagged at the time, saving time at the checkout
- The touch screen keeps a running total of prices, helping shoppers stay within budget
- It enables customers to scan their loyalty card to instantly access savings
AI may impact shopping in other ways as well, including online, but the fact that one of Britain’s leading supermarkets is embracing the technology with the aim of enhancing and speeding up the in-store experience suggests that AI could play a role in increasing footfall.