The shopping carts are equipped with a large iPad-style screen, scale, cameras, and other gadgets.

An Albertsons (NYSE: ACI) store at Eagle, Idaho, is going all out to enhance the in-store experience for its shoppers by providing smart shopping carts made by Seattle-based startup Veeve. By equipping carts with enhanced features such as cameras, an interaction screen, even a weighing scale, they hope to make shopping in the store faster, easier and more efficient. (BOISE dev)

Veeve CEO Shariq Siddiqui says the carts are a win-win for both Albertsons and its customers. Drawing inspiration from Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) capital spending on enhancement of in-store experiences and blurring between in-store and online experience, Albertsons and Veeve are taking a leaf out of the ecommerce giant’s no-checkout store model.

The Veeve smart cart at Albertsons

As Albertsons shoppers load the cart with their purchases, it automatically scans the products and updates the bill amount. The cart also accepts their payment, allowing them to walk out the store without having to visit a kiosk or stand in a checkout line. They receive the payment receipt via text or email.

According to Siddiqui, the cart allows for a lot more than just simplifying checkout.

It can make product recommendations, show available coupons, and display a shopping list. In future, it could also take orders for items unavailable in the store.

“What if that cream of mushroom you really wanted isn’t on the shelf. How do you buy it if it’s not in the store? You could add it to your virtual cart and have it delivered, bringing that endless aisle experience.”

On average, shopping with a Veeve cart takes about 27 minutes compared to 45 minutes with the conventional carts.

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