The world of technology is constantly changing and evolving and it can be difficult for us
everyday folk to keep up.
Each year more and more gadgets and tech our taking over our grocery stores; from self
check out to no check out at all.
The grocery store is changing.
With that in mind, here are our 10 Futuristic Gadgets That Are Changing Grocery Shopping
forever!
Augmented Reality
Many people already use Augmented Reality all the time in their daily life.
Pretty soon A.R is going to be an integral part of our grocery shopping routine.
The idea of this new system is to help everyone have a better shopping experience.
Using special tracking and computer vision, the A.R will be able to integrate with your
shopping list and pick out any dietary or allergy friendly foods you need.
It will also guide you around the store in a more efficient way.
Plus, if you need to make a recipe, the system will pick out all the ingredients you need
and show you where they are in the store.
We could well be seeing more of this A.R technology in many walks of life soon.
After all, most of us use our phones and apps for most things, especially shopping.
Already people write their shopping lists and use coupons within an app, so how much
easier would it be to do all that with one single app, plus you get your own shopping
guide as well.
QueVision
If there is one thing that all of humanity has to suffer with, it's standing in line
at the grocery store.
We've all been there and we all dislike it, but somehow it's ok as this is a shared experience
and we all suffer together.
However, the days of standing in line for seemingly hours on end may well be a thing
of the past.
A big piece of technology making real waves in the grocery business is QueVision.
Rolled out by grocery store giant Kroger in 2012, QueVision is designed to make grocery
shopping a more pleasant experience.
Using infrared cameras, sensors and predictive analytic systems, QueVision feeds 'real-time'
information directly to store managers.
The information helps the stores determine how many people are in the store at any one
time and therefore how many cash registers they need to open.
Given enough time, QueVision can actually start to predict what is going to happen on
certain days and how busy it should be.
The idea of this is that customers shouldn't have to spend a big part of their day in a
line.
QueVision will know when it's busy and the store will already have enough cash registers
open to make a shopping run faster and smoother.
Scan And Go
As we've mentioned on this list already, a trip to the grocery store can be a nightmare.
The next big thing that really could help deal with this issue is Scan and Go.
Essentially, Scan and Go takes away the need to go to the cashier as you scan the food
yourself.
Using an app, the customer scans the barcode of the product and then places it a bag or
cart.
When the shopping is done, the customer can either pay for the groceries via the app,
therefore bypassing the cash register and line ups altogether.
Or they can generate a single barcode on the app, which can then be scanned into a self-checkout.
Whichever way you choose to pay, Scan and Go could actually make grocery shopping a
pleasurable experience.
Smart Carts
So far on our list of gadgets that will change grocery shopping forever, we have mentioned
a lot of tech that you can use on your phone to help you with your weekly shopping.
Now we come to a gadget that the store is providing for you and that's the Smart Cart.
We have all had problems with a shopping cart.
Not only is there never a cart when we need one, but when we do finally get our hands
on one, we can never steer it properly and the thing has a mind of its own.
Not any more.
The Smart Cart is here to help with our shopping too.
Each cart is fitted with a scanner so customers can scan the item before putting it in the
cart.
Much like the Scan and Go app, except it's built into the cart.
Just in case you were wondering about foods that don't have a barcode, the Smart Cart
has a built-in scale so you can weigh the food as you put it in the cart.
The Smart Cart also allows you to pay at your cart so you can avoid line ups and the cashier
altogether.
The Smart Cart is also loaded with artificial intelligence and machine learning tech that
will actually be able to identify the products rather than customers having to scan them.
That part of the Smart Cart isn't available yet, but we are assured that it is coming
soon.
The Smart Carts might not be coming to a grocery store near you yet, as it's the Canadian Store
Sobey's that are introducing this gadget.
However, assuming that the Smart Cart does well with customers, we could be seeing this
item in most grocery stores in the US and Canada soon.
Amazon Go
The future of grocery shopping is now.
That's according to Amazon.
The internet shopping giant has recently expanded into the real world as they have started to
roll out their physical stores across the country.
The stores themselves look very futuristic; sleek and minimalist, the stores look more
like tech boutiques than a grocery store.
Just before everyone runs off to check out the Amazon go stores, there are a few things
you need to do first.
The most important thing is to install their app, as you can't even enter the store without
it.
Then you have to log into it, and set up an account if you don't already have one, then
you are good to go.
The store has a fancy turnstile that you must scan with the app in order to get in, and
then everything inside the store is closely monitored by cameras and tracking technology
so it knows exactly who is in the store and what is going on.
It also keeps tabs on what you are putting in your basket and what you put back and can
charge your account accordingly.
That all sounds super futuristic but the main selling point from these stores is that there
are no lines whatsoever.
There aren't even any cash registers.
When you have done your shopping, you exit through the turnstiles, and then Amazon just
charges the shopping to your card or bank via the app.
The popularity of these stores is growing rapidly, so much so that Amazon is opening
more and more across the country.
Kroger and Microsoft
That's right, one of the U.S's biggest grocery chains and one of the world's biggest tech
companies are getting together to make grocery shopping an all-around better experience.
The idea behind this partnership is to wage war on Amazon.
In order to compete with Amazon, Kroger and Microsoft have come up with store ideas that
will revolutionize the way we shop.
Adding a 'Scan and Go' element to their store, customers will have a guided tour around the
stores, as well as being able to scan their own products and pay for them in the app.
On top of that, these stores will also use personalized shelf signs to help the customers
complete their shopping.
The selves are covered in sensors and cameras that can convert the digital signs into relevant
information.
As these digital signs are linked with the app, they can also be used as advertising
tools and can target specific products based on the customer's demographics and shopping
history.
Warehouse Robots
If you are like us, then you probably watched a lot of science fiction movies as children.
More often than not, in those movies robots would rise up and take over the world.
We may be a long way off from that actually happening, but the robots have started to
take over our grocery stores.
Maybe this is their plan; to infiltrate our shopping habits and then strike when we are
unaware?
Maybe that's how it will all start?
Until that day, we’ll turn our attention to the grocery store warehouse.
With online orders becoming big business, it can be difficult to keep on top of so many
orders.
There is a solution, however, robots.
British online delivery company Ocado has thousands of busy robots packing grocery orders
at their warehouse.
Using air traffic control technology, the robots move along a grid, communicating with
each other and even self-charging for maximum efficiency.
The use of robots in this way speeds up packing time and therefore they can have a much faster
turn around when it comes to ordering and deliveries.
U.S retail giant Kroger is looking to use this technology in their warehouses too and
have made a partnership with Ocado to bring the robots to the U.S.
Instore robots
As we have just mentioned, a big gadget that is changing grocery stores is robots.
These robots are not just content with staying in the warehouses to pack our groceries.
No, they are now moving into stores and are coming face to face with customers.
There are in fact several companies using several 'robots' in their stores.
However, it's the 'googly-eyed' robot that is grabbing all the headlines.
The robots scan the shelves to see which foods need re-stocking or re-ordering.
The other duty these googly-eyed robots, who is actually called Marty, will have is to
warn customers of hazards and spills.
It then notifies the staff to come and fix the problem.
So, it basically rolls around the stores making sure everything is ok and everyone is safe.
That's a good robot.
While these in-store robots are being seen more and more, they do have limited functions
at the moment.
However, we are sure it won't be long before they are being programmed with more complicated
duties, and who knows, maybe Marty and friends will one day be running the entire grocery
business.
Nanotech
Nanotechnology is one of the great sources for all science fiction and now it's coming
to food.
Nanotechnology is the science of the very small and is measured in billionths of a meter.
The nanoparticles are on similar scales to viruses and proteins.
Using nanotech in food isn't a new thing, mayonnaise, for example, uses this as water
and oil don't naturally mix.
However, food sciences are starting to go further and using nanotechnology to manipulate
the food in order to create a specific taste and even reduce the fat content significantly.
They are also looking into reducing salt grains by a thousand times, which increases the surface
area and makes the food need less salt without losing any flavor.
Nanotech isn't just going into making food healthier and more sustainable, it is also
going into the packaging.
It could cut the use of harmful packaging, such as plastics, significantly.
There is also research going into the packaging being able to change color if the food has
gone bad.
Self-Driving delivery
Grocery delivery has had a big boom over the last decade or so.
Being able to order your weekly food from your favorite grocery store online, has been
a revelation.
Or at least it was years ago.
With the speed that technology moves, online grocery shopping seems a little dated.
That is until the groceries start driving themselves!
A lot of Grocery stores, Kroger, Walmart, and Amazon, in particular, are testing out
self-driving cars.
With companies such as Ford involved, the quest for the ultimate self-driving delivery
vehicle is on.
Not only are companies trying to go ahead with self-driving deliveries but some are
actually trying for self-driving grocery stores.
The mini grocery stores drive themselves around and can be called via an app.
Once the vehicle arrives, customers open the door and take what they need.
In a similar vein to the Amazon Go stores, only much smaller, the vehicles and shelves
have sensors and cameras so it knows what you've taken, then you get charged via the
app and a receipt is emailed to you.
The future of grocery shopping looks like it won't even have us going to the store as
the store will come to us.
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