US retailers Price Chopper and McKeever's Market & Eatery introduce Instacart AI powered smart carts in stores

Price Chopper and McKeever's Market & Eatery report that Caper Carts, Instacart’s AI powered smart carts, are now available at select stores in Missouri.

These allow customers to scan items as they shop, manage their grocery budget in real-time and skip the checkout line. 

Caper Carts are available starting at Price Chopper in Parkville and McKeever’s Market & Eatery in Lee’s Summit, followed by a broader deployment in the coming months.

They feature an interactive screen to engage customers, track spending for budget friendly shopping, and directly access coupons and deals through a loyalty programme.

Caper Carts also have features available to engage customers throughout the entire shopping journey - from personalised recommendations as they shop and gamification elements that reward customers once a spending threshold is achieved.

"We're a home grown grocery business committed to improving the shopping experience for customers across Kansas City," says Tim Cosens, Chief Technology Officer at McKeever's.

"Our adoption of Instacart’s AI powered Caper Carts is a significant step towards modernising how we serve our customers. This technology not only makes shopping more efficient but also helps customers effortlessly discover new products and stay on budget, all during a single visit."

"Customers are increasingly choosing stores equipped with our Caper Carts, where they typically spend about 30 minutes shopping with the cart per visit. And now, we’re expecting similar enthusiasm at both McKeever’s Market & Eatery and Price Chopper," says David McIntosh, VP and GM of Connected Stores at Instacart.

"Caper Carts can enhance the shopping experience through personalised interactions, such as loyalty discounts. They integrate smoothly into existing store operations and unlock incremental revenue streams for stores. We're excited about our growing partnership with these stores and the potential it holds."

Price Chopper has partnered with Instacart since 2017 to power both same-day delivery and pickup via the Instacart App. Price Chopper also recently introduced Instacart Storefront to power its e-commerce site.