Bloom Concierge Cart Technology

From SupermarketNews, this was a device I looked at a few years ago called the Concierge cart from Springboard Networks. This appears to be the first actual implementation of their smart cart idea. I have followed a number of other implementations of the idea both in the news and in test applications. The article says that it uses GPS for location, though it is unclear how this can be reliable in an indoor location. Contains a barcode scanner and a proximity indicator to say when promotions are nearby. That makes it open to a number of first-moment-of-truth engagement applications, especially when connected to a loyalty card system.

In most recent examples the cart mounted approach has been used primarily for pre-checkout when it contained a scanner. Without the scanner it limits the ability to communicate with the shopper and items on the shelf. It will be good to see a more complete implementation with full screen and scanner. Bloom is optimistic in their statement saying that they plan to roll it out to other stores.