Smart Shopping Cart – Amazon’s Dash

Cart

Raise your hand if you get irritated by long lines at the supermarket checkout. Go ahead –
don’t be shy! It would be very rare indeed if all shopping experiences were trouble-free. A
major annoyance of shoppers is the checkout process. It should be simple and fast.

In a move intended to shake up the grocery industry, Amazon’s new Dash Carts calculate
and pay the bill – meaning no need to stand in any kind of check-out line. The Dash Carts
have embedded cameras, sensors, a built-in scale, and a smart display that will
automatically tally the items. The smart carts will be available later this year at a planned
Amazon grocery store in Los Angeles. The technology is similar to that used at Amazon Go
stores with their “Just Walk Out” cashier-less technology.

The carts are easy to use and require little change in shopper behavior. Shoppers use their
Amazon account information and smart phone. After entering the store, the shopper scans
a QR code in the Amazon app that signs them into the cart and even loads up stored
shopping lists from Alexa. The technology speeds up shopping, eliminates checkout and
aims to improve the overall shopping experience.

Shop. Exit. Simple.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

1. Discuss the purchasing process and the problems with having consumers use
new innovation.
2. Do you think that this type of innovation shape the consumer of the future?
3. In your opinion, how do you think the consumer of the future will be?
4. How can conditioning be applied to the process?