Smart lights guide Schnucks shoppers to items on store shelves

ST. LOUIS — Have you ever been frustrated by finding something at the grocery store? You can now use a light to guide you to items on Schnucks store shelves.

Instacart has announced that their Carrot Tags’ pick to light functionality is working at some pilot Schnucks stores. This innovative technology integrates with electronic shelf labels, turning on lights in the labels to guide customers and Instacart shoppers to products. Schnucks’ started the pilot program in 2023 demonstrated some success.

I was able to use the new technology Thursday night. I needed earplugs before attending a concert and could not find them at the Arsenal store. The Schnucks app told me they would be in aisle 15B, but I just could not find them. A button in the app allowed me to turn on a light on the label. It immediately drew my attention to the product.

Instacart shoppers can also activate items on their picking list via the Shopper App, streamlining order fulfillment. The Carrot Tags will soon interface with smart carts to assist customers in finding items. This technology is part of Instacart’s Connected Stores suite, which aims to merge online and in-store shopping.

Schnucks launched AI-powered smart carts in 2023 . They can identify and weigh items automatically as shoppers add them. The “ Caper Carts ” also display a running total of the shopper’s spending. They are currently in a limited number of stores.

The collaboration between Schnucks and Instacart, which began in 2017, now encompasses a wide range of offerings. These include Caper Carts, Storefront, Carrot Ads, and Eversight, among others.

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