Morrisons is trialling an AI-powered smart trolley in Preston. Gareth Hodgson asks a more fundamental question than whether the technology is clever: does it actually solve a problem customers care about, and could it deliver a genuinely differentiating and commercially scalable proposition?
It doesn’t seem that long ago that Morrisons was comfortably the number four grocery retailer in the UK. Aldi shot past them in 2022 and this year so did Lidl.
It’s not like Morrisons have gone backwards too much in terms of share, it’s just that they’ve effectively stood still for the best part of three years give or take 0.2% growth/decline here or there.
Morrisons seem to have a history of being late to the party. They’ve had to play catch-up in terms of value/loyalty, convenience and online, and not always got it right when they do finally get there.
So the news this week that Morrisons has launched an AI-powered smart trolley trial in Preston jumped out. The Caper trolley can recognise products as they are placed in the trolley, keep a running total and help shoppers avoid the traditional checkout queue as just the screen is scanned.
Does it sound clever? Absolutely. Does it sound innovative? Yes.
But these aren’t really the important questions. They key questions are whether the customer genuinely wants it/benefits from it, and in turn, whether the economics work at scale.
There’s been plenty of related supermarket technology white elephants over the years. RFID tags. iPad trolleys. Biometric payments. “Follow me” trolleys. Anybody up for bypassing check-outs and shopping at Amazon Fresh? Sorry. Closed.
But there are successes.
Tesco introduced Scan As You Shop 16 years ago and it’s incrementally grown into a success (they reported last year that £1 in every £5 spent at their large stores came through this channel).
Sainsbury’s have made a success out of scanning on your phone via an app or via scanners, recently rolling this out SmartShop across an additional 150 supermarkets to stretch beyond half of their overall estate.
But what this means is that we already live in a world where the two dominant market leaders already successfully provide a facility which enables shoppers to keep a running total of their spend… and also shorten the checkout experience. And the cost and logistical impact have been integrated over decades (in a more cost effective way than full trolleys).
An AI trolley might sound fresh and catchy on the surface, but ultimately it’s just an alternative format to fulfil needs which are already being met.
This is where customer research should come in before the investment, not after it. Does the technology solve a genuine pain point? Does it add something to the experience? Which shoppers actually value it? And, crucially, would they choose it over the alternatives already available?
It feels like another example of Morrisons being late to the party and using their overdraft to bring a bottle of Cristal when the guests are already happy with Blossom Hill.
It’s taken over a decade for Tesco and Sainsbury’s to embed their smart-tech shopping. We’d argue that Morrisons’ money is better spent making the shopping proposition better TODAY. The question for any innovation isn’t simply “can we build it?” It’s “will customers value it enough to change what they do?”
Focus investment on what customers REALLY want. And we suspect that’s sharper prices, stronger availability and better quality range… rather than an AI trolley showing them that they can’t stretch their budget as far and emphasising the holes in their shopping list.
Thinking about your next innovation?
At Mustard, we help brands understand what customers actually need, what gets in the way and which ideas are worth investing in. If you’re developing a new product, service or customer experience, get in touch.