More on Talking Shopping Carts

ThosLives writes "CNN.com is reporting a story about Talking Shopping Carts. (I rue the day when viruses attack these carts, telling everyone to go buy Brand X). This article also has some interesting comments about possible (and likely inevitable) uses of RFID. I wonder, in the future, will I be able to buy anything with our new funny colored cash dollars?" We've mentioned these before.

Comments

Great Idea.

[Davak]

Great idea... ...as long as I know where the mute button is.

Re:Great Idea.

[ncc74656]

Great idea... ...as long as I know where the mute button is.

It's the trigger on your HERF gun. That'll fix it permanently. :-)

Re:Great Idea.

[public_class_name_ex]

Meanwhile, without you realising, everyone in the aisle is being told by your cart that your preferred pr0n mag is on sale and that it's been roughly one month since you've last purchased tissues...

Re:Great Idea.

[aardwolf204]

There is a Texaco in town that I used to fill up at, but no more. They installed talking gadgetry to the pump that would try to sell my hot dogs, beverages, and car washes. It was very loud and annoying, echoed a lot under the canopy too, thank god it had a mute button. The solution to this annoyance was easy, dont fill up there anymore.

Lesson learned: people dont like automated thingies trying to sell them things by talking to them.

Short life

[Godeke]

This will have about as much impact as the talking coke machines and verbal notifications in cars: they will be vandalized or torn out. I can see some modest value in a display that shows where related items are, being a guy who doesn't go shopping often. I might actually use it. My wife who seems to have memorized the incoherent ordering would be annoyed I suspect. (Who is it who decides that bread and tortilla products are unrelated? That whipped cream *isn't* a dessert topping, fit to be displayed with all the others.)

Re:Short life

[AllUsernamesAreGone]

"Who is it who decides that bread and tortilla products are unrelated?"

The whole concept behind store layout is to ensure that the average customer has to pass as much of the shelf space in the shop as possible. The theory is that, in doing this, impulse buying rates are increased. This is also the reason that shops rearrange the products on a regular basis, so that shoppers are forces to pay attention to the products on the shelves rather than go directly towards those they actually want to buy.

Re:Short life

[el_gordo101]

Supermarkets layout is actually a quite sophisticated process. Ever notice how the bakery is often close to the entrance? The smell of freshly baked bread, cookies, etc. is there to entice you and start a Pavlovian hunger response. You will buy more food when hungry. Next in line are the perishable food depts. (produce, meat, deli). They want you to take the perishable products off of their hands quickly so they do not have time to spoil. The last aisle usually contains the nessecity items that you want most such as milk, egss, bread, etc. They put this at the back of in order to get you to walk all the way through the rest of the store in hopes that you will make some impulse-purchases on the way (mmm.... Screaming Yellow Zonkers). The rest of the aisles are also laid on in some shopping-frenzy inducing pattern.

Re:Short life

[das_cookie]

I can see some modest value in a display that shows where related items are, being a guy who doesn't go shopping often. I might actually use it.

Therein lies a juicy new source of income for the stores. In order to get "listed" in the product directory, I can see the stores charging a fee to the suppliers, much in the way shelf space is sold to those vendors who are willing to pay for it. For example, look at the soft drink isle in any grocery - Coke and Pepsi products get 2/3 or more of the shelf space, while off brands get enough for a row of 6 packs. It's a big barrier to new product entry and limits choices to the consumer.

Great, just what I need...

[grasshoppa]

"Hi! I notice you haven't bought contraceptives in the past couple weeks. We have some excellent weight loss products on aisle 4, and our deorderant is on aisle 6", says a bright and chipper voice as I make my way to the chips and snacks aisle.

Re:Great, just what I need...

[l810c]

Or how about after you pick up your condoms, the machine says:

'Better go to aisle 9 to pick up some soap and deoderant if you want in chance in hell of using your condoms.'

Re:Great, just what I need...

[PhiltheeG]

That's why I only buy my beer, rubbers, and hand lotion at the local Kroger (with their special card) to see what happens. Sometimes I'll buy a package of clothesline, clothes pins and a copy of "Teen People" just to mess with their heads

Seriously though, shouldn't they be working on technology to make the shopping process more secure and more efficient? All this will be is an extra layer of complexity and extra usage of bandwidth.

Or what if you're at work and don't really want others to know what you should be buying?

Great news

[tarquin_fim_bim]

"and, by the way, it's been six weeks since you bought toilet paper"

I just read a security report saying everyone stole it from their workplace. Surely this technology could be used to lock up all the inconsiderate bog roll thieves.

Privacy Issues aside...

[ericspinder]

I'd really like to be able to download the information myself. Maybe they could add a MMC slot to the cart (or USB drive, smart card, etc.). I don't think it would be that hard, heck, they could probally do it now at the cash registers. Load that info into a program at home (maybe even a custom program for the chain) and there you got your shopping list. On a simular note, they could have the information tie into a website which you could create a "usual" list, plus a couple of items that were featured on the website.

As I see it the real problem with the carts is the expense to wire (and upkeep) for each cart (besides, those thing get trashed quickly).

Re:Privacy Issues aside...

[ebacon]

Ultimately, you could return to the store with your new shopping list, feed it into the cart and it would plot an ideal path through the store to get all your items. No wandering back and forth looking for the Peanut Butter, which is not with the Jams and Jellies, but in the breakfast cereal area (?).

I could see it also suggesting which cashier to line up for, for quickest service ...

Viruses?

[hype7]

I rue the day when viruses attack these carts, telling everyone to go buy Brand X

Viruses?

You think it's going to take viruses for this to happen?

-- james

The homeless...

[Dracolytch]

Before we thought the homeless talking to their shopping carts were simply insane. NOW the carts are talking back.
If me hearing voices from my shopping cart is normal, how am I to tell when the rutabega is upset?

I'm still looking for the day when I can plug my PDA into my shopping cart, have it download my shopping list, and pick the groceries up FOR me.

~D

Disappearing Carts

[Tenebrious1]

Hmmm... I don't suppose the store is going to leave these outside overnight? I could use a few touch screen LCDs around my apartment, would make a nice front end for my MP3 Jukebox...

Re:Disappearing Carts

[freeze128]

Lots of grocery stores in my neighborhood are adjacent to train tracks. This makes things easier. Put a cart on the tracks, train demolishes it, you go back and pick up the expensive pieces.

A real use

[Dracolytch]

The only real use I can see is if it can tell me, accurately, where the hell the Golden Ghrams are. In-cart navigation!

Honestly though, the things would be so expensive (And prone to be stolen for parts), I doubt they'll ever really show up.

~D

Consequences of "conveniences"

[c77m]

I'd like to see some new inventions that actually help solve tasks instead of these creations that do everything possible to reduce the amount of thinking that we do. Are people really so lazy that we can't exert the neurological effort to figure out on our own whether or not there is toilet paper on the roll? Can we not look for ourselves to see what is on sale? Can we not figure out for ourselves what wine we like with salmon?

I would love target marketing if it works...

[MadAnthony02]

Despite the traditional concerns about privacy, I do kind of like the idea of target marketing. If companies are going to advertise to me, I would rather it be products I might actually buy than stuff I wouldn't. But all the opportunities seem to aimed at products I don't want. Amazon knows I buy mostly electronics from them, but I get a gold box full of kids toys and $100 pots. Credit card companies supposedly know my credit history, but all I get is secured cards aimed at people with no credit, or Amex Gold cards for buisness owners. Send me an application for a rewards card with no annual fee, and I might go for it.

Same with this talking cart. If it really usues the info for telling me about products I might like, or that are a good deal, I might like it. If it just tells me that products I would never buy are on sale, then forget it.

Cost???

[NumLk]

I know cost is a factor of scale, but it sounds like they are describing some pretty high tech shopping carts. I have to imagine that to be practical they would have to be intentionally limited in thier function to prevent theft from the parts. They'd also have to be extremely durable or they'd be constantly breaking down.

Seriously, grocery margins are as razor thin as they come, it doesn't take many stolen carts to make them uneconomically, not to mention that the wear and tear in a supermarket parking lot could cause the repair bills to be just as bad.

On the lighter side, I can already imagine the bum's stolen cart: "PLEASE take me back! I'll have them throw in a free stick of deodorant & a 40 for you!"

Attention K-Mart shopper

[dfn5]

(Loud booming voice from shopping cart) "Might I suggest sensual lubricants to go with those Trojans?"

Re:Don't like it? Pay with cash.

[xyote]

But you will get ads for fixing up your credit rating or consolidating your debt. Why else would you not have a credit card?

That rfid in currency will be a pain. ATMs will start recording rfids in dispensed cash, and banks will starting selling that information. And that information will be pretty reliable. After all, how many of us only use ATMs and if 20s are the largest bill dispensed, how likely will we get 20s in our change. Meaning most 20s spent will have come from an ATM.

Just try exiting the store...

[charlieo88]

Dave Bowman: Hello, HAL do you read me, HAL?
HAL: Affirmative, Dave, I read you.
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave Bowman: What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave Bowman: What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL: You haven't looked at any of the sale items Dave. I have the utmost confidence you will purchase one.

Re:In a grumpy mood

[Ceadda]

Ah.. hellloooooo... RTFA... They say you will be able to swipe your prefered customer card and the cart will bring up items you've purchased before. Also, you can check out items by scanning them into the cart! This means the cart has to connect to the central computer, and it has to be updatable in case they change prices, sales adds.. etc. Your obvoiusly not going to walk around the store with an ethernet cable tethering you to the main office, so they'll put in a wireless networking connection... Bring in your wireless gear... try enough times as you wander around, and you'll probably be able to override whatevers programmed into them.

Improving Health and Diet

[yintercept]

With computers tracking every grocery item purchased, I thought it would be really cool if they would give you a sum total of nutritional value of your grocery purchases. Assuming that you actually eat what you purchase, this would give you an idea if you are getting the RDA of the different nutrients you need. Technology could actually help us eat a balanced diet. Imagine how cool it would be if the grocery cart told you that it looked like you were getting too many carbs and not enough protein...

Unfortunately, all of this technology is being used to make the quick short term gain of tricking people into more and more impulse buys and having the overall effect of decreasing the quality of the modern diet.

I suspect the talking cart will be a grocery store annoyance on par with screaming kids in the playland carts that are the current fad.

More change....? I dont think so

[Ka0s23]

"We'll see more change in the next five years in the way people shop than in the last 20," said Dan Hopping, a consulting manager with IBM who specializes in store operations and merchandising.
Did anyone tell this guy about the internet? Somehow I don't find talking shopping carts to be more of a revolution in shopping then internet sales. Talk to me when this talking shopping cart leaves from my house, picks up the items I want, then returns with my purchases. Now that's a revolution!

Targeted marketing

[mabu]

Does anybody really feel that they are being more accurately targetted these days?

My friend in an apartment got a telephone soliciation selling vinyl siding; I am constantly bombarded with inappropriate solicitations. It seems the promise of technology was to allow more astute use of the tools and information at hand to tailor advertisement to those who have an interest, but has anyone actually experienced this?

My experience has indicated that while the data and technology is available to allow for more targeted marketing, people in the industry feel that the indiscriminate "bulk approach" is more productive. This would be consistent with the realization that we are becoming more and more desensitized to suggestion, and more suggestion and promotional invasion is needed to transmit the same message nowadays. So is the use of technology and information truly beneficial in the future of marketing?

Re:Targeted marketing

[gregmac]

My experience has indicated that while the data and technology is available to allow for more targeted marketing, people in the industry feel that the indiscriminate "bulk approach" is more productive.

It is probably cheaper to just pay a telemarketing firm a flat fee to call their big list of phone numbers than it is to do research, collect data, analyze it, assemble that into a list, and finally hand that over to the telemarketing firm.

This would be consistent with the realization that we are becoming more and more desensitized to suggestion, and more suggestion and promotional invasion is needed to transmit the same message nowadays.

Ironically, the reason we're becoming desensitized to suggestion is because there is more and more suggestion and promotional invasion all the time.

I rarely even notice things like billboards, they just blur into the background with the rest of the signage. Banner ads on webpages, I definately don't even notice those (in fact, that's so bad that my brain will skip over headlines, if they're fancy graphics or look considerably different. I've often been looking around on a webpage for a long time, then suddenly I notice the "downloads" button or whatever I was looking for was right in front of me all the time. If it's designed in some slightly ad-looking style, my brain just subconsciously filters it out).

Re:Targeted marketing

[cyril3]

It seems to be harder and harder for marketers to accurately target these days because it is harder to get good lists. Privacy concerns limit the availability of even public information that would allow direct marketing of products or services that a person may actually be in the market for.

Case in point. I had a friend in the landscaping and outdoor hardwear business. He was using a mailing list generated by the local authority from Building applications esp swimming pools. With the list he was able to write good marketing material that addressed things people were actually doing. He did this for a few years with some success. In his material he generally identified where he had gotten their names so they didn't think he had been spying or underhanded etc.

At some point someone took exception and the local newspaper blew it up into a big privacy thing. They raised all sorts of bogus issues like burgulars accessing details of places with lax security in the construction phase and eventually the local authority made it difficult to get multiple names from the public record in any useable format.

So my friend is back to mass mailing in areas where building is likely to take place rather than specific targeting which he would much rather do.

Less success and more angst to the recipients.

I suspect the same thing is happening in many ares of activity.

Especially with public records. They are still available but in much less usable forms.

nice technology...

[hyperstation]

...but really, isn't this just yet another scheme to get us to buy more crap that we don't need? wow, those smart guys found *another* place to bombard us with advertising and suggestions in order to profit and make us spend spend spend.

it's not like its gonna look at my cart and say "how about some macaroni and cheese to go with your hotdogs". it's gonna say "don't forget to pick up a box or three of Kraft brand macaroni and cheese. it's the cheesiest! it'll go great with your Oscar Meyer weieners...and don't forget about the great deals you'll find on Bush's baked beans - from a generations old family secret", and on and on and on.

i can make my own decisions (albeit very slowly) about what to buy in the grocery store. so this thing needs an off switch.

Jackass

[Denver_80203]

Jump in one and roll uncontrollably towards a curb... would it scream? "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Get off me you freak!" or.... Put the baby in the seat and... "Your child just shat his pants" Take the cart off site "heeeeeeeeelp! help! Amber alert!"

another thought: assisting in food/money budgeting

[hyperstation]

maybe a useful (non advertising) implementation would be something like this:

say you have a limited budget to spend on food, and you need to make it thru x number of days. if the computer knows your likes/dislikes and the general eating habits (once again, this might be giving out too much info) of yourself (and family), then it could possibly make meal suggestions that would allow someone to be certain that they have enough food to last the week or whatever and stay within budget.

i'm not embarassed to say that i've been very broke before and have receieved food stamps (not now), and at other times just didn't make a whole lot, but still had to be very careful about budgeting my food money to make sure everyone ate and i could still put gas in the car, etc. something like this would have been helpful, i suppose. i guess the same thing could be put in a PDA or even a cell phone now, but most people who are scraping by don't have either of those.

for example:

"since you enjoy potato chips and eat 1-2 bags per week, you'll be glad to know that you can buy two bags for the price of one in aisle six. you have $34.32 left in your food budget."

"if you buy the large bag of french fries for x dollars, according to your programmed meal habits you will have enough for an extra side of them later in the week, possibly with your hamburgers."

etc, etc... ...just a thought

Just like other ads

[phorm]

The highest bidder gets the most prominent ads... and remember, in this case it's not a bug, it's a feature!

However, I could just see the fun that covert shopping-cart-mod hackers would have with these.
"Geeze, don't buy that brand of toilet paper, it's rip yer a**hole up."
or, more appropriately
"Extra large size condom eh? I'd suggest you go with the slim-fit there bub!"

I can see a good use for this...

[mark-t]

Well... a good use for electronic shopping carts anyways... I could live without the jabbering.

You prepare a shopping list at home in some format, putting onto a micro floppy disk or some other easily transportable technology. You then plug that into the shopping cart when you arrive at the store and the shopping cart gives you the most optimum path to take through the aisles in order to pick up all the items on the list. A small LCD monitor would direct you to which aisle you needed to proceed to next.

I can't tell you how often I end up backtracking when I'm grocery shopping... it probably adds 50% to my overall time, maybe even more.

It would be convenient if ...

[DaneelGiskard]

... you could select the thing you would like to buy on some touchscreen (or simply enter it, with a search function) and the car would lead you to the place where you can pick it up.

It might only be me, but I regularly get lost when I try to find something in those large supermarkets ...

Won't ever happen...

[Acheron]

This won't ever happen because it's well-documented that people spend more or less y dollars for every x minutes you spend in store. This leads to things like... Mushroom and tomato soups (most popular varieties) on the bottom shelf; thus, you are

a) more likely to walk past them, and have to come back later and
b) required to visually scan the other soup flavours in order to find what you're looking for, leading to more views of the branding on the can, and making you more likely to make an impulse purchase of a flavour that catches your eye.

Getting you out of the store more quickly is absolutely not going to be something grocery stores are going to want to work towards. If anything, they want you to enjoy your time so much that you'll want to be there longer.