September 10, 2025
Instacart and Morrisons Launch First UK Rollout of Smart Trolleys
AI-powered shopping trolleys are heading to British supermarkets for the first time, as Instacart teams up with Morrisons to bring its Caper Carts to the UK. The trial will begin in early 2026 at one Morrisons store, with further expansion on the table if the rollout proves successful.
The deal marks a significant move outside North America for Instacart, where Caper Carts are already in use across nearly 100 cities with retailers such as Kroger and Coles.
According to Instacart, the trolleys can cut down on friction at every stage of the shop. Equipped with a touchscreen, scales, and AI sensors, they allow customers to scan and bag items as they go, weigh produce directly in the basket, and track their spending in real time. When ready to leave, shoppers simply scan a code from the trolley’s display at self-checkout instead of queuing at a till.
New Ways of Customer Interaction
Beyond convenience, the technology opens up new ways for supermarkets to interact with customers. Caper Carts integrate with Morrisons’ loyalty scheme, meaning offers and discounts can appear while customers browse.
The digital screens also act as a retail media channel, serving up promotions, recipe suggestions, and product pairings in the aisle. Retailers using the trolleys in the US have found that they not only improve the shopping experience but also boost basket sizes.
Earlier this year, Instacart outlined how deeply AI is embedded into its wider strategy. The company reported training its systems on ten times more data to improve product substitutions, resulting in 300 million replacements in 2024 with a 95% satisfaction rate.
Its AI-powered inventory management platform also integrates real-time shopper feedback on product availability, with plans to add computer vision technology to scan aisles and provide richer data.
