Morrisons first U.K. grocer to deploy AI-enabled Instacart smart carts
The fourth-largest U.K. supermarket chain is now the first grocer in that country to deploy Instacart Caper Cart smart carts.
Following up on an implementation project first announced in September 2025, Morrisons is rolling out the artificial intelligence-based Caper Carts solution from Instacart at its store in Preston. This marks Instacart’s first retail partnership in the U.K. to bring Caper Carts to British customers.
Part of the Instacart Connected Stores platform, Caper Carts are equipped with cameras, a built-in scale, and location sensors connected to Nvidia Jetson hardware which work together with an edge AI system to automatically recognize items as they are placed in the cart.
Caper smart trolleys automatically recognize items as they are placed in the trolley, including weighing fresh produce on the spot. Customers can bag items as they shop and the trolley's touchscreen displays a running basket total, makes relevant product recommendations and enables shoppers to scan their Morrisons More loyalty card to gain instant access to savings and promotions throughout their visit.
When they have finished shopping, customers scan the barcode displayed on the trolley's screen at a dedicated Caper checkout lane to complete payment.
"Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we're always looking for ways to make their weekly shop easier, more rewarding, and more enjoyable, to give them more reasons to shop at Morrisons," said Gordon Macpherson, productivity director at Morrisons. “Caper smart trolleys do exactly that, giving customers real-time visibility of their spending, instant access to their More Card savings, and a more seamless experience in the aisle. We look forward to seeing how shoppers in Preston and across Lancashire respond to this innovative new trolley in this in-store trial.”
Caper smart trolleys are now live in more than 100 cities across the U.S. and Australia with Kroger, Wakefern Food Corp., Schnucks, Coles and more.
[READ MORE: Australian grocer Coles Supermarkets debuts AI-equipped Instacart carts]
Founded in 1899, Morrisons operates roughly 500 grocery stores and 1,700 convenience stores across the U.K. Based in San Francisco, Instacart partners with more than 2,200 retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from nearly 100,000 stores across North America.
