Australian grocer Coles Supermarkets debuts AI-equipped Instacart carts

Coles Supermarket rolls out Instacart Caper Carts. (Photo: Instacart)

A leading Australian grocer is officially the first Asian-Pacific retailer to deploy Instacart Caper Cart smart carts.

Following through on a deployment initially announced in November 2024, Coles Supermarkets is implementing the artificial intelligence-based Caper Carts solution from Instacart at its Richmond Traders location in Melbourne.

Customers can find the new "Coles Smart Trolleys" at the front entrance of the Coles Richmond Traders supermarket. The trolleys are Instacart Caper Carts equipped with AI, cameras, and a built-in scale, which work together to automatically recognize items as they are added to the trolley.

Caper Carts enable customers to bag as they shop and watch their running total. At the end of their shopping, customers can check out directly from the trolley.

The Caper Carts sync to Coles’ Flybuys rewards program, allowing customers to earn points as they shop. Customers can scan their Flybuys card or Coles app to instantly gain access to personalized offers and view in-store specials on the trolley’s digital screen.

"We’re proud to be the first retailer in Australia to offer AI-powered smart trolleys to our customers, bringing our omnichannel vision to life," said Ben Levinson, GM for digital product at Coles. "Caper Carts help our customers bag as they shop, manage their budget, and save time with faster checkout – all while providing a more personalized shopping experience."

When customers shop in-store with Caper Carts, they can later view purchased items under their 'buy it agai'’ list on the Coles app and website. Leveraging gamified capabilities, customers also have the chance to win discounts by spinning a digital wheel on the trolley’s screen at checkout.

Photo: Instacart
Photo: Instacart

Coles is the first retailer in the Asia-Pacific region to launch Instacart's Caper Carts, as well as the first retailer in Australia to introduce AI-powered trolleys.

"Coles Supermarkets is our ideal partner to introduce Caper Carts in the APAC region because we share a similar vision for creating a personalized shopping experience that delights customers," said David McIntosh, chief connected stores Officer at Instacart. "We’ve already heard first-hand from Coles customers how the trolleys are easy to use, while enabling them to track their spending and bag as they shop."

In other international expansion of the Caper Carts solution, global discount grocery retailer Aldi is testing the technology in Austria.

Caper Carts is part of the Instacart Connected Stores platform, a suite of technologies intended to help grocers build a unified, seamless and personalized experience.

Coles operates more than 1,800 supermarkets and liquor stores across Australia. Based in San Francisco, Instacart partners with more than 1,500 national, regional and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 85,000 stores across North America.