North American grocery technology company Instacart has announced the introduction of three new features for its AI-powered Caper Carts, aimed at maximising in-store rewards and savings for customers.  

The new capabilities are gamified quests, location-based coupons and aisle-aware advertising formats. 

The gamified quests transform the routine shopping trip into an interactive adventure, offering mini-games that shoppers can complete while using a Caper Cart.  

In addition to improving the shopping experience, the feature enables customers to earn rewards and credits, promoting savings and product discovery. 

The location-based coupons alert customers to deals and discounts on relevant items as they navigate the store.  

The Caper Cart's indoor location capabilities allow for precise targeting of offers, with future plans to personalise coupons based on individual shopping histories. 

The aisle-aware advertising enables consumer packaged goods brands to make a strong impression on shoppers at the most relevant moments.  

This pilot programme, which follows Instacart's earlier in-store advertising initiatives, allows brands to display creative content tailored to customer location and cart contents. 

Instacart chief connected stores officer David McIntosh said: "Caper Carts are ushering in a new era at the grocery store – making shopping more delightful while delivering a seamless experience for customers, retailers and brands. Over the last six months, we’ve nearly quadrupled our Caper Cart footprint and plan to reach thousands of carts live in stores in the coming months. 

“Today’s news is further proof of how we’re truly transforming grocery shopping from a chore to a fun adventure, giving customers a one-of-a-kind, interactive experience in every aisle of the grocery store.” 

The rollout of these new features is currently underway at retailers such as Schnucks and Wakefern Food, in collaboration with brands such as General Mills and PepsiCo.  

Instacart also plans to release a survey on consumer adoption of smart carts and the significance of product discovery and savings in the shopping process. 

In July 2024, Instacart and family-owned US chain Schnuck Markets announced the chainwide rollout of the former’s Carrot Tags electronic shelf labels software.