A grocery run often means guessing at your total until you reach the register. A supermarket in Lancashire, England, is testing a cart that tries to remove the guess. The Caper AI shopping carts show a running total as you load your items.
Instacart, based in San Francisco, makes the carts. Morrisons is trialling them at a store in the Preston area. The Guardian reports that the store is the first UK supermarket to try them, and Chain Store Age, a US trade outlet, calls Morrisons the first UK grocer to deploy them.
A trip round the store with a Caper cart
- You push the cart like any trolley. According to Chain Store Age, it carries cameras, a built-in scale, and location sensors, all connected to Nvidia Jetson hardware that runs an edge AI system.
- You put items in. The cart recognizes them as they go inside, and it can weigh fresh produce on the spot.
- A touchscreen shows a running basket total and product recommendations. The Guardian says the cart suggests related products as well.
- If you scan a Morrisons More loyalty card, you can see card savings and promotions during the visit.
- You pay. Here the reports differ. Chain Store Age says customers scan a barcode on the cart’s screen at a dedicated Caper checkout lane. The Guardian says shoppers scan the screen to pay instead of using a regular checkout. We couldn’t confirm which description is complete, so check how payment works at your store.
Why It Matters to You
- On a tight budget, you can watch the number climb and put an item back before you reach the till.
- Some neurodivergent shoppers may like the predictability, as one tester’s comments suggest.
- Older adults who dislike self-checkout kiosks may find a cart easier or harder. It depends on the person.
- Right now only shoppers at one Morrisons store in the Preston area can try it, and no report says what it costs shoppers.
What testers said
The Guardian spoke with several shoppers during the trial. Matthew Byrne is autistic and finds it hard to stick to a shopping plan. He says the carts “massively” helped him track his shopping. He came with an £80 budget and stayed within it.
Kaz Bond has used the carts on every Morrisons trip for about four weeks. She calls them “brilliant” and thinks they may become common. A phone fault once forced her to use a normal trolley, and she was disappointed.
Debbie Files found the cart confusing on her first visit and needed help from a store employee. She adapted quickly. She also said the carts are heavy and asked for a smaller version.
These are three shoppers’ views, not a study, and no outlet reports how much shoppers save.
Where the carts are, and where they aren’t
The carts are in a trial at one Morrisons store, and the Guardian says they arrived about a month before its report. Chain Store Age describes the Preston deployment as an in-store trial and gives no wider rollout timeline, while the Guardian says Morrisons plans to install them in supermarkets across the UK. Instacart says Caper Carts are live in more than 100 cities across the US and Australia, per Chain Store Age. That figure is the company’s, and it doesn’t cover the UK. Neither report gives a cost to shoppers.
The evidence is thin. Shopper comments come from a handful of interviews, and no report gives budget results across many shoppers. Usability has gaps (one tester found the cart confusing at first and heavy, another hit a phone fault), and neither report says what the cameras record or how shopper data is stored. Ask the store.
Read the original reporting on the Caper cart rollout in Lancashire for more shopper reactions. Driverless delivery technology also works behind the scenes on grocery supply, as in our story on Gatik’s driverless trucks. Another device built for everyday care is the Luffu Link caregiving band.
- Who makes Caper carts? Instacart makes them. Morrisons is trialling them in the Preston area of Lancashire.
- Do I need to scan items myself? Reports say the cart recognizes items as you place them in and also weighs produce. Chain Store Age and The Guardian don’t describe manual scanning for most items.
- Will it save me money? No report measures savings. The running total shows what you’ve spent so far, which may help you stay on budget. One tester stayed within an £80 budget.
- Will my store get these carts? Unknown. The Guardian says Morrisons plans a UK-wide install. Chain Store Age says the Preston deployment is a trial with no timeline for more stores.
Sources
- The Guardian via AOL UK: AI-powered shopping trolleys at a Lancashire Morrisons (Aug 25, 2026)
- Chain Store Age: Morrisons first UK grocer to deploy AI-enabled Instacart smart carts (Aug 3, 2026)
No Instacart or Morrisons announcement was available, so product details rest on these two outlets.