Instacart , the leading grocery technology company in North America, announced the launch of three new Caper Cart capabilities – gamified quests, location-based coupons, and aisle-aware advertising formats. These new offerings build on the AI-powered smart cart’s capabilities to make grocery shopping more delightful and personalized via its digital screen, allowing brands and retailers to engage with customers as they shop in-store. These capabilities are rolling out now to retailers like Schnucks and Wakefern Food Corp., in partnership with brands including General Mills and PepsiCo.
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Launching fun, in-store gamified quests on Caper Carts
New gamified quests make grocery shopping feel like an adventure. Quests are interactive mini-games that customers can complete using a Caper Cart, creating an even more enjoyable and rewarding shopping experience. This new Caper feature encourages customers to earn rewards and credits while enhancing savings and product discovery among customers as they shop. Quests are customizable and designed in partnership with retailers and brands, giving them the flexibility to reimagine shopping experiences that meet the needs of their customers. Quests will appear on the Caper Cart digital screen with lights and sounds to alert customers when they are available. Quests could include experiences such as:
- Flash deals: Customers could participate in a “treasure hunt” inspired shop, where they follow a map of the store and keep an eye out for flash deals as they shop. Flash deals will help customers discover new products they’ll love alongside old favorites.
- Rewards for repeat visits: Customers could earn credits, like $10 off their next visit, when they complete a “shopping streak,” such as three shops with a Caper Cart in one month.
- Credits for coupon clipping: By clipping a specific number of personalized digital coupons on a Caper Cart, customers could receive credits, which could be equivalent to $5 at the end of their shop.
Introducing location-based coupons on Caper Carts
With new location-based coupons, customers using Caper Carts will be alerted to nearby deals and discounts for relevant items as they shop each aisle of the store. Caper Carts offer indoor location capabilities that enable retailers and brands to know where customers are in the store as they shop. In the future, location-based coupons will be tailored to each customer, based on previously purchased items or what is in their Caper Cart. For example, when a customer rolls into the bakery department, Caper Cart’s digital screen will surface a coupon for a dollar off a box of muffins and notify the customer with an alert. This builds on Instacart’s current coupon offering, where more than 40 percent of Caper Cart users clip coupons. Instacart has helped customers save more than $2 billion on Instacart orders with deals, discounts, and membership benefits between April 2022 and 2023.
Expanding advertising on Caper Carts
Aisle-aware ads on Caper Carts can help CPG brands create a strong first impression when customers are shopping relevant aisles. For example, if a customer turns down the cereal aisle, they might see creative imagery featuring Cinnamon Toast Crunch on the screen, sponsored by General Mills. This pilot builds on in-store advertising capabilities that Instacart announced earlier this year with Good Food Holdings. In the next stages of testing for rich formats on Caper Carts, brands will be able to showcase their rich creative based on both customer location and the addition of complementary items to their cart. Over a dozen brands are piloting location-based ad formats at Schnucks, spotlighting products on Caper Cart’s digital screen based on where customers are in the store.
“Caper Carts are ushering in a new era at the grocery store – making shopping more delightful while delivering a seamless experience for customers, retailers, and brands. Over the last six months, we’ve nearly quadrupled our Caper Cart footprint and plan to reach thousands of carts live in stores in the coming months,” said David McIntosh, Chief Connected Stores Officer at Instacart. “For more than a decade, we’ve worked with grocers of all sizes to provide them with the technologies they need to serve their customers. With Caper Cart’s digital screen, we’re now delivering an unmatched omnichannel experience for retailers and brands in-store. Today’s news is further proof of how we’re truly transforming grocery shopping from a chore to a fun adventure, giving customers a one-of-a-kind, interactive experience in every aisle of the grocery store.”
Instacart is also unveiling a new survey on consumer adoption of smart carts and the importance of product discovery and savings. Instacart found that 83 percent of consumers are receptive to using smart carts for savings and budgeting. Additionally, 50 percent of consumers are interested in using AI to find the best deals, while 26 percent are eager for AI-powered personalized offers and recommendations. The survey also revealed that 30 percent of consumers want assistance while browsing, and 76 percent expressed willingness to use AI technology while they shopped for groceries.
Caper Carts are part of Instacart’s Connected Stores suite of technologies, built to help grocers bridge the online and in-store shopping experience. Caper Carts are powered by NVIDIA Jetson and equipped with AI, cameras, sensors, and a built-in scale, which work together to automatically recognize items. The cart’s digital screen allows customers to track their purchases and stay within budget in real-time. At the end of their shop, customers of many retailers can checkout directly from the cart. Customer reception to Caper Carts has been strong with users offering a net promoter score of more than 70 at ramped locations.
Retailers currently offering Caper Carts include Bristol Farms, Fairway Market, The Fresh Grocer, Geissler’s Supermarket, Kroger, McKeever’s Market & Eatery, Price Chopper, Schnucks, and ShopRite in the US, as well as ALDI in Austria.
Partner Quotes
“We’ve been excited by the positive reception we’ve seen from our Caper customers to-date. Customers love watching their running total and clipping coupons directly on the cart – which is ultimately leading to larger basket sizes,” said Bob Hardester, Chief Information and Supply Chain Officer at Schnuck Markets Inc. “Location-based coupons and investment into an expanded advertising platform on Caper Carts have the opportunity to be game-changing when it comes to offering a personalized experience for our customers.”
“Caper Carts are changing how customers are shopping the aisles. Since launching pilots of the smart carts at ShopRite, Fairway Market and The Fresh Grocer in the past year, we’ve seen customers enjoy shopping at their own pace and exploring what our Members’ stores have to offer,” said Charlie McWeeney, VP of Technology, Digital and Retail at Wakefern Food Corp. “As one of the first grocers to understand the value Caper Carts provide, we’re excited to introduce gamified experiences and expand access to digital coupons based on where customers are in the stores.”
“At PepsiCo, we’re committed to creating seamless and value-add shopping experiences for our consumers, wherever and however they prefer to shop. By testing tailored advertising on Instacart’s smart Caper Carts, we can connect directly with consumers the moment they turn down an aisle, highlighting products and offers that resonate with their specific shopping preferences. We’re excited to see Instacart continue to invest in this area, enhancing our ability to meet and exceed the ever-changing needs and expectations of consumers,” said Mike Glaser, VP Commerce Marketing at PepsiCo.
“At General Mills, our partnership with Instacart has always been about embracing innovation in the shopping journey. With advertising capabilities on Instacart’s AI-powered Caper Carts, we’re now poised to connect with our consumers at a critical moment—right when they first encounter our products in the aisle. As one of the first brands to test these dynamic in-store ad placements, we’re able to deliver personalized consumer experiences in real-time,” said Raquel Navarrski, Ecommerce and Pureplay Sales Vice President at General Mills.
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