Why This Retail Innovation Is a Game-Changer for Grocers AND Shoppers

The hyper-competitive retail environment today makes it more important than ever for grocers to innovate strategically, especially when it comes to the checkout process. On that point, both you and your customers can agree. But which innovation is right for you? 

“A high-impact checkout innovation that’s worth investing in should solve crucial pain points for both you and your shoppers. And that’s precisely what makes the smart cart stand out,” says Roger Bigio, Chief Revenue Officer for Shopic.

But not just any smart cart option. Shopic is a revolutionary device that enables you to transform your existing cart fleet into smart carts. Below, we’ll highlight the ways Shopic solves challenges for grocers while also dramatically improving the shopper experience.

4 Ways Shopic Solves Grocer Pain

Grocer Pain Point No. 1: Major Innovations Can Mean Major Store Modifications 

Let’s say you’re interested in purchasing a fleet of smart carts. That requires more than a big investment in new carts, which is significant in and of itself. You’ll also have to contend with a number of other related roll-out challenges.

Chief among them is the likely need for changes to your store layout. That’s because most grocery stores are designed for conventional carts that can be nested and stored, whether indoors or outdoors, like in the image above. 

But smart carts typically can’t be stored outside and, more significantly, they can’t be nested. This forces grocers to use – and often renovate – a considerable amount of valuable retail square footage for smart cart storage.

How Shopic solves this pain: Minimize roll-out complexity and physical modifications 

Shopic is a clip-on device that can be seamlessly integrated into your current standard shopping cart fleet. That means you can:

• Avoid purchasing a new fleet of expensive smart carts
  
• Deploy a low-footprint innovation that won’t interrupt your current operations
  
• Keep physical store modifications to a minimum (see the Shopic installation above)
  
• Save money over the long run by disassociating high-tech, “smart” elements from your cart fleet

Grocer Pain Point No. 2: Shrinking Basket Sizes and Missed Sales Opportunities

Online shopping has caused a drop in overall basket size and a sharp decrease in impulse purchases. Moreover, inflation in recent years has influenced shopper purchasing habits. For example, according to the Advantage 2024 Shopper Outlook, 54% of respondents said they have reduced how much they spend on groceries.

Factors like these make it imperative to find new ways for generating more sales. Unfortunately, the standard shopping cart provides no opportunity to deliver sales-generating messaging.

How Shopic solves this pain: Engage directly with customers to promote purchases

The Shopic smart screen leverages retail media, location-based technology, and other tools that enable you to increase basket size by:

• Delivering perfectly timed, personalized promotions and recommendations
  
• Empowering customers to choose deals and products relevant to them
  
• Promoting select perishable items as they move closer to sell-by dates (reducing loss from expired items in the process)

Grocer Pain Point No. 3: Limited Capabilities for Customer Data Collection

Compared to e-commerce retailers, brick-and-mortar grocers are much more limited in how they can gain customer data and information. 

As a result, it’s challenging to develop targeted strategies that are driven by detailed info on purchasing behavior. 

How Shopic solves this pain: A data source to know your shoppers like never before

The Shopic device allows you to capture a wealth of consumer data, both at the individual level and in the aggregate:

• Collect anonymous macro-data on customer behavior and in-store traffic patterns to help you optimize inventory, store layouts, and staffing allocation.
  
• Gain insights from shoppers who participate in your rewards or loyalty program and deliver personalized promotions and recommendations to them (see also No. 2 above).
  
• Develop deep analytics on your customers so you can continually improve your entire store network.

Grocer Pain Point No. 4: Theft-related Shrinkage 

Non-smart carts lack security measures to decrease the risk of shrink due to theft. 

On top of that, many retailers have invested a lot in self-checkout lanes. Unfortunately, self-checkout lanes can actually increase shrink rates due to shopper mistakes, computer errors, and outright theft.

How Shopic solves this pain: Technology to reduce shrink 

The Shopic device tackles the potential for shrink head-on and enables grocers to:

• Benefit from an innovation designed specifically to counter shrink thanks to computer vision technology
  
• Enjoy significantly lower shrink rates compared to self-checkout lanes while also reducing checkout friction (see more on that in the Shopper Pain section below)

3 Ways Shopic Solves Shopper Pain

Shopper Pain Point No. 1: Waiting in Long Checkout Lines

A 2018 study by Forrester Research and Digimarc showed that the pain of waiting in checkout lines ranked third in influencing where a customer chooses to buy groceries, behind only price and location. And it’s doubtful that those attitudes have magically improved. 

In fact, a recent survey conducted by Waitwhile indicated that 67% of consumers associated waiting in line with “boredom, annoyance, frustration, and impatience.”

If shoppers equate long lines with your store, they may choose to go elsewhere. Meanwhile, the problem goes unresolved as you confront staff shortages and the shortcomings of self-checkout lanes.

How Shopic solves this pain: Provide an extremely low-friction checkout 

Shopic streamlines the checkout (and overall shopping experience) by allowing customers to:

• Skip the lines and checkout directly from their Shopic-enabled cart with their phone, credit card, or debit card
• Place items directly into shopping bags in their cart without the need to take them back out at checkout
• See an updated purchase total as new items are placed in the cart (or removed)

Shopper Pain Point No. 2: Missing Out on Sales and Personalized Offers 

It’s not uncommon for shoppers to inadvertently cruise right by product promotions, forget about coupons, and also miss out on recommendations that would benefit them.  

But there’s not much that a standard shopping cart can do to help. And signage just can’t cover all the possibilities. 

How Shopic solves this pain: Deliver relevant promotions directly to shopper’s screen 

In grocer pain point No. 2 above, we described how you benefit from Shopic’s ability to engage with customers via the smart screen. 

But now imagine this factor from the perspective of your shoppers. As they push a Shopic-enabled cart through your aisles, they can now:

• Receive non-intrusive alerts indicating when they’re in a sale “hot zone,” with the option to push a button for the details
• Get relevant, personalized offers and recommendations based on their shopping preferences
• Feel like their shopping trip is a satisfying, worthwhile experience thanks to smarter selections and greater cost-saving opportunities

Shopper Pain Point No. 3: Difficulty Finding Products

Large grocery stores are great for their wider selection. But that can come at a price. 

For time-pressed shoppers in particular, struggling to find specific items can lead to frustration and lost sales for you. And for their next shopping trip, they might just choose a different store. 

How Shopic solves this pain: Guide shoppers to item locations

Shopic creates convenience for shoppers not only at the checkout stage but also while they shop by:

• Helping them navigate your store with Shopic’s “co-pilot” feature, which can guide them to particular items and even indicate availability
  
• Giving them a “mission accomplished” feeling as they conveniently locate everything they wanted

Take the Next Step: Experience Shopic Firsthand

Grocers today are understandably looking for innovations that generate far-reaching benefits. You’ve just gotten a glimpse of the many important ways the Shopic device solves challenges for both the grocer and the shopper. 

Now take the next step. This is the perfect time to schedule a demo to better understand the transformative potential of Shopic for your stores. 

See how Shopic solves challenges for both grocers and shoppers alike!