AI Smart Carts Lift Grocery Spending 32% in 12,418-Trip Study

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 8

Smart-cart users spent 32% more on average than regular-cart shoppers in a March 2025 study of 12,418 grocery trips at a German supermarket chain.
Those shoppers also bought 25% more items and stayed 23% longer in stores, with the spending gap widening on afternoons and weekends.
The researchers said the results show correlation, not causation, because shoppers were not randomly assigned carts; heavy screen users interacted more than 20 times but did not spend more overall.
Retailers still have strong incentives to expand the technology because cart screens can deliver recommendations, coupons and ads while shoppers are deciding what to buy.
That rollout is already underway in the U.S., where Instacart says thousands of Caper Carts operate in more than 100 cities and Amazon plans Dash Cart expansion to dozens more Whole Foods by end-2026.