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Image: Supplied
Checkers has begun trialling what it says is South Africa’s first “smart trolley,” the Xpress Trolley, at two stores in the Western Cape.
The device allows customers to scan and bag items as they shop, view their running total in real time, and pay directly at the trolley.
The technology is aimed at cutting down, or potentially eliminating, time spent in checkout queues, one of the most common frustrations for in-store shoppers.
Checkers has framed the initiative as an early step in its broader efforts to explore new approaches to convenience in retail.
What makes the Xpress Trolley compelling is not merely its hardware, it’s the data ecosystem it enables.
By marrying barcode scanning with live transaction tracking, each trolley becomes a direct interface between the consumer and Checkers’ analytics engine, according to the retailer.
Real-time data on purchasing patterns, dwell times in various aisles, and basket sizes can now be captured on the fly, giving Checkers a powerful engine to refine inventory, optimise store layouts, and personalise offers.
Checkers is piloting the system at two stores in the Western Cape, opting for a phased rollout.
The trial is intended to test how customers respond, as well as how the technology performs in day-to-day operations. Depending on the results, the retailer could expand the offering more widely, using the initial findings to guide any broader implementation.
Checkers is piloting the system at two stores in the Western Cape, opting for a phased rollout. Following initial testing with head office employees at Checkers Hyper Brackenfell from mid-August, 10 trolleys will be made available to customers at this store, along with another 10 at Checkers Constantia.
The trial is intended to test how customers respond, as well as how the technology performs in day-to-day operations.
Depending on the results, the retailer could expand the offering more widely, using the initial findings to guide any broader implementation.
Around the world, retailers are experimenting with frictionless shopping models, from Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology to RFID-based item tracking.
Checkers is testing its own version of this approach, tailored to the South African market and retail environment.
The initiative forms part of a broader trend in which physical stores are being reframed as spaces to trial technology aimed at improving efficiency, engagement and convenience.
Neil Schreuder, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Shoprite Group, situates the technology within a broader legacy of disruption and said that the pilot allows Checkers to reimagine the in-store journey using technology for a more frictionless shopping experience.
“The Xpress Trolley enhances convenience, improves speed, and keeps customers in control from the moment they enter the store to the moment they leave. Smart trolleys aren’t about the novelty of screens on trolleys, they’re about giving shoppers real-time control, creating a compelling shopping experience,” he added.