Waitrose taps Shopic tech as grocery retailer kicks off smart cart and frictionless payment trial

Waitrose & Partners has gone live with a pilot involving a Shopic AI and computer vision technology powered smart trolley.

A trial is underway at the UK grocery retailer's Bracknell site.

A Waitrose spokesperson told RTIH: “This works in a similar way to our scan, pay, go handsets, with a bigger screen, that identifies every item placed into or removed from the cart, and with a real-time tally of products and prices so shoppers can keep track of purchases.”

Shoppers attach a handlebar like device to a regular Waitrose trolley. They use this to scan barcodes on products before putting them in their trolley. The smart cart then identifies the products.

People must weigh loose produce at one of the store’s in-aisle scales and scan the barcode. Bakery products need to be chosen from the device’s screen before being placed in the trolley, while reduced goods need their yellow stickers scanned.

The Waitrose spokesperson added: “We're exploring options for more frictionless payment for our customers, while still maintaining conventional checkouts for customers who value interaction with our partners”.

Dimar

In March, Shopic announced a partnership with Dimar, an Italian supermarket chain, and Retex, a digital transformation specialist, to implement a computer vision powered smart cart in Dimar’s Mercato stores.

In an online post, Shopic said: “Bringing our AI and vision technology to Dimar, with Retex playing a crucial role, is a major step in establishing our smart carts in Italian supermarkets. Computer vision not only enhances convenience for shoppers but also provides retailers with powerful tools to optimise operations, increase efficiency, and deepen customer engagement.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Smart carts will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.