SK Telecom Pilots Smart Shopping Cart

SK Telecom has started a pilot test for a new shopping cart in China. ‘Smart Cart’ uses a customer’s smartphone and a cart equipped with a tablet PC to provide product information, shopping tips, and special discounts in real-time. It utilizes indoor positioning technology to determine a user’s location and then displays information on the tablet screen relevant to that area of the store.

After downloading the ‘Smart Cart’ app, customers can search for discounts, coupons and create a shopping list on their smartphone. Then at the supermarket, their phone is synchronized with a tablet PC-equipped cart, which provides them with information as they shop. At the checkout, the tablet shows the list of purchased items, membership points and available coupons. The company stated their expectation that:

Smart Cart will become a more personalized smart shopping service when combined with customer information – e.g. shopping history, usage pattern, etc. – managed by existing retailers. Customers will shop conveniently through product recommendations based on analysis of user’s shopping history and location information; manufacturers will be able to carry out targeted marketing for customers located in the store; and retailers will secure a new marketing channel that enables integrated and seamless communication with customers.

SK Telecom