GLOBAL – SEPTEMBER 2011: Gadget geeks and the tech-savvy need not leave their iPads at home or in their cars whenever they need to do some grocery shopping.
UK grocery supermarket chain Sainsbury has already began the testing of shopping carts with built-in iPad docks in Kensington, West London. The shopping carts are equipped with a tilting iPad holder and speakers, an on-board battery with a self-charging solar panel, and a sensor in the front “bumper” to warn shoppers if they are getting too close to other customers.
Sainsbury partnered with Sky TV for the iPad carts, which also features the broadcasting company’s Sky Go, allowing iPad users to watch live news or sports on their devices. According to Neil Mawston, director of global wireless practice at Strategy Analytics, the iPad-ready trolleys will enable “shoppertainment” for customers, as well as differentiate Sainsbury from its competitors.
Said Ian Burgess of Setwo Designs, the company behind the iPad carts, in an interview with The Telegraph, “Being able to create a gadget that is practical yet innovative is often a challenge but I think with the trolley we’ve cracked it.” Mobile Commerce Daily, on the other hand, reported that the high-tech shopping carts may also be used as a tool to track shopper habits and in-store actions.
Mawston could also see other retailers following suit, should the iPad cart prove to be successful. “If the iPad cart opens up a fresh stream of advertising or cross-selling revenues without harming core shopping purchases, then we expect other retailers to do something similar,” he said.
Photo credit: Sky/Jack Barnes
