Someone is going to make the marriage of shopping carts and video work, right? While a number of companies have introduced carts with video systems in recent years, none has gained widespread acceptance in the U.S.
The general idea behind various cart technologies has been to help keep shoppers (or their small children) entertained while in the store, expose them to advertising/selling messages and, in more sophisticated applications, enable scanning and checkout.
A system being tested by Stop & Shop, which allows consumers to use iPhones to help them shop and scan items as they go through the store, has shown some promise, based on reports. Of course, it is not technically a cart system.
Now, a new report from the U.K. has Sainsbury testing a shopping cart system designed for iPads. The cart developed by the Sky broadcasting company comes with a tilting iPad holder and speakers that allows consumers, among other things, to watch its live sports and news programs. Carts, according to a report by The Telegraph, come equipped with an onboard battery that is solar charged. Sensors of the front bumpers give off a beep if the person pushing the cart gets too close to other shoppers.
Brett Hart, Sainsbury's "trolley" (shopping cart in American) buyer, told The Telegraph, "We strive to make our customers' lives simpler, which is why we're looking at these new trolleys."