Albertsons rolls out AI-powered carts in select stores
Albertsons is poised to go high-tech with its shopping carts.
The company will offer Veeve Smart Carts to customers at a few dozen stores across the country. Once the carts are launched later this year, consumers will be able to use the smart carts to skip the checkout line with a fast, convenient and contactless way to shop.
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Veeve Smart Carts offer a more personalized shopping experience enabled by a touch screen that provides a running total for in-cart items and a built-in scale for easy produce purchase, the company said.
Each tech-enhanced cart, which also will integrate Albertsons for U loyalty program, allows shoppers, who have completed their shopping, the ability to complete their payment on the cart and walk out, completely skipping the checkout line.
“Veeve Smart Carts offer a sophisticated, yet simple self-checkout experience for people who value flexibility and time savings,” said Alyse Wuson, senior director of omni experiences at Albertsons. “Our goal is to enhance the grocery experience no matter how our guests choose to shop, and Veeve’s technology brings the ease and integration of e-commerce right to the grocery cart.”
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“We’re thrilled to partner with Albertsons to deliver a personalized in-store shopping experience. This deployment is an important and inevitable next step in connecting the consumer’s e-commerce activity with a totally new, digitally driven in-store shopping experience,” said Shariq Siddiqui, Veeve’s co-founder and CEO. “Working with Albertsons, we are building a link between multiple consumer channels and the brands they trust while keeping customer loyalty central to the experience.”
Albertsons currently operates 2,276 retail stores with 1,722 pharmacies, 402 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 20 manufacturing facilities. The company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia, with 24 banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s Food Lovers Market.