With inflation reaching an all-time high, the price battles between supermarkets are raging. Everyone wants to achieve high customer retention rates, solve the digitalisation dilemma, and especially increase revenue. Retailers have realised, that smart shopping trolleys can be the solution to this problem.

Here is a closer look at the latest developments in smart trolleys and their promises.

Expensive investments

While some retailers seem to put their hope into camera-based solutions that are being installed throughout the store or betting on fully automated stores, these solutions are not applicable for larger shop floors and are so pricey that they are unlikely to get achieve mass rollout.

Other popular solutions like self-checkout terminals bring a lot of challenges with them and are neither fit for big shopping sprees, nor do they offer consumers any beneficial features that increase the customer experience overall.

Reinventing what’s already there

There has been a trolley solution available for more than three years that can help businesses attract more customers and grow their customer retention rate,  all whilst reducing manual labour cost.

Retail giant Amazon has also realised that smart shopping carts are a force to be reckoned with and is developing its own Dash Cart further, which is a self-made trolley design that lets customers add items via automated product recognition.

But unfortunately, this trolley is neither available for retailers, nor would serious business leaders consider handing over their customer data to one of their biggest competitor[1].

Other tech companies have seen the opportunity to create a smart shopping trolley of their own but only a few have succeeded in creating a rollout-ready product that is suitable for all retailers.

German software company Pentland Firth Software has developed a product called Easy Shopper.

This trolley has been in the rollout stage since 2019, with more than 5,000 trolleys rolled out in over 130 stores as of November 2022. This makes it the market leader in the global smart shopping carts.²

Numbers for Success

The use of this smart shopping trolley within food retail has not only proven 300% more efficient than regular checkout counters, it has led to a 7.5% decrease in queues at the checkout zones[2], boosting customer satisfaction.

These are significant numbers, especially in times where retailers are challenged with finding store staff.

But this is not the only factor. Through a loyalty card programme, customers’ shopping behaviour can be evaluated and compared.

A study where such data was monitored one year before and one year after implementation of the Easy Shopper in a supermarket shows an average of 12% increase in revenue.

This study has been carried out in over 45 supermarkets with a peak of up to 16% revenue increase per store.

There is more

Other unexpected facts came to light too. The usage of the loyalty card spiked by up to 80% in Easy Shopper supermarkets.

A lot of loyalty card customers were converted from a lower customer status (bronze) to a higher status level (silver and gold), which shows that the Easy Shopper is generating returning customers.

The numbers and the acceptance amongst customers in the last three years speak for themselves.

On average the Easy Shopper is handling 22% of revenue share over all of its 133 stores, with peak performing stores reaching up to 37% on average.

In 2022 alone the Easy Shopper system will account for €500m gross revenue, showcasing the scalability and stability of the system.

Features for customer experience

Not only does the Easy Shopper trolley save you time during the checkout, it also has a longer list of features up its sleeve:

You can start your shopping experience by creating your personalised shopping list via the Easy Shopper App.

Products can be added either via search or by directly scanning them. Shopping lists can also be shared with your loved ones and are updated as soon as an item is added.

Simply log onto the shopping trolley with your app and your shopping list gets transferred to the trolley’s display.

If you are unsure where to find an item, you can easily have a map on the display to help navigate to the shelf where the item is located.

After applying personalised coupons, customers can either choose to pay at a designated checkout lane or to pay directly via app and skip the checkout altogether.

A green light on the trolley indicates a completed payment and the end of a successful shopping experience.

As of 2022, the Easy Shopper comes in two variations – a premium and a light version –  that gives retailers of all sizes and budgets the chance to invest in customer satisfaction and increased revenue.

Proven Product

The company behind Easy Shopper’s success is Pentland Firth Software and is located in Munich. It has already won over Germany’s largest food retailer and is now looking to expand business abroad.

Contact them via their website´s contact form to start talking business today: www.easy-shopper.com/contact or directly visit them at the EuroShop 2023 at Hall 6 Booth H35.

[1] https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-dash-trolley-new-features-whole-foods

[2] Numbers measured by customer EDEKA

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