The Futurecart's 12-inch screen can alert shoppers to sales. Each cart also has an onboard computer and radio tag reader, and costs between $1,200 and $1,700. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
A NEW supermarket in Buona Vista has gone high-tech, launching a fleet of LCD-screen trolleys that can track shoppers and send them messages.
The Futurecart, which costs between $1,200 and $1,700, was unveiled yesterday at the opening of the Market Place at the tech-centred Fusionopolis complex. Outfitted with an onboard computer, radio tag reader and 12-inch video screen, the cart can alert shoppers to sales and collect data on their likes and dislikes.
When the trolley rolls past a freezer of turkeys, for example, it prompts the shopper to download a free recipe for roast turkey onto their cellphones.
When the shopper roams near the cereal aisle, the LCD screen flashes nutritional information about oats and displays promotions on cornflakes.
The technology also provides supermarkets with invaluable market research data, helping them to examine shopping patterns and track which products are popular. Supermarkets can also tell if the targeted advertising on the screens has been successful, judging by what shoppers buy.
An increasing number of supermarkets around the world have started using smart trolleys and other cutting-edge technology, though Market Place is the first in Singapore to take the plunge.
Owned by grocery chain Cold Storage, the store also features:
Digital price tags on shelves, which are controlled by computer and can be changed automatically.
A digital scale for shoppers to weigh and tag their own fruits and vegetables; and
Self-service check-out counters that accept credit cards and payment by Nets.
The 20,000 sq ft supermarket cost almost $4 million. Despite the innovations, Market Place still lags behind high-tech grocery stores such as Waitrose in England and Woolworths in Australia. These stores have more advanced trolleys that can tally the bill as customers shop or can accept cash at self-service checkout counters.
Mr Choo Peng Chee, chief executive of Cold Storage Supermarkets, said the store has to balance innovation with operating costs - as well as the tastes of customers.
'It's also about how ready the consumer is for this,' he said. 'If we put in something that they are not ready to accept, it will be a white elephant.'
Should shoppers take to the tech-savvy concept, the chain is likely to introduce more technology into its stores, he added.
