SK Telecom [1] announced the launch of a pilot test for Smart Cart in China. Smart Cart – we’d say shopping trolley, Ed is an innovative service that uses a smartphone and a smart shopping cart equipped with tablet PC to offer diverse shopping-related information based on accurate indoor positioning technology. The company said the pilot test will begin today at the Shanghai store of Shanghai Lotus Supermarket Chain Store Co., Ltd.
[2]Whilst we have seen plenty of other carts / trolleys go digital, see MediaCart, Microsoft and Wakefern’s “Next-Generation Digital Grocery Shopping and Ad Experience [3]” and indeed ‘Cabco’s TV Kart [4]‘, SK Telecom’s Smart Cart is the world’s first shopping cart service that utilizes smartphones to provide information gathered through indoor positioning technology.
Unlike previous RFID-based cart services provided by retailers that only showed product information and discount offers within stores, Smart Cart – through synchronization with smartphones – provides a wide variety of shopping tips, product information and discount/ special deal information in real time based on indoor positioning technology.
After downloading the Smart Cart application to their smartphones, customers can search for shopping/discount information, store coupons and draw up a shopping list. Then at supermarkets or retail stores, the customer’s smartphone is synchronized with a tablet PC installed to a smart shopping cart through user authentication. Within the stores, depending on their location, customers can get useful information – e.g. catalogue, product information, discount information, etc. – and receive coupons using augmented reality