Instacart Wegmans notch up a first as they launch pilot of AI powered Caper Carts at New York store

Instacart, a grocery technology company in North America, has announced the launch of Caper Carts – its AI powered smart carts – at Wegmans Dewitt in Syracuse, New York. This marks the first deployment of Caper Carts at Wegmans.

Caper Carts automatically recognise items as they are dropped into the cart and customers can bag as they shop, tapping signals from an array of cameras, digital scale, and location sensors connected to NVIDIA Jetson hardware. Wegmans customers can login to their Shoppers Club account on the cart’s screen in order to shop this way.

“Caper Carts are transforming everyday grocery shopping into a faster, more personalised experience,” says David McIntosh, Chief Connected Stores Officer at Instacart. “We’re excited to partner with Wegmans - known for their exceptional customer and in-store experience - to bring this technology to their store. Together, we’re delivering customers a delightful and personalised shopping journey.”

The companies first partnered to offer same-day delivery in 2017, and have since expanded the partnership to include the likes of pickup, EBT SNAP acceptance, loyalty programme integration.

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, which is now open for entries. 

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Wednesday, 3rd September.