The Future of Supermarket Trolleys
Most of us don’t stop to think much about the technology behind supermarket trolleys. We just want one that has four working wheels, and preferably isn’t coin-operated because who has coins on them these days? There are some workarounds, including trolley tokens and ‘keys’ that can be purchased at supermarkets and hardware stores. Or, you can reportedly ask a staff member at supermarket service desks for help accessing a trolley in the event you don’t have a coin on hand, or a token, or ‘key’.
But a new technology has changed the game, and all you need is your phone.
The new trolley technology replaces the need for a coin and allows for easy access and tracking of supermarket trolley fleets. It’s called sMart Lock™, and it is the work of the Trolley Data Management Network (TDMN®). Customers simply need to download an app and register using an email and a password. They are then issued with a “free digital coin”.
The “unlock trolley button” appears in the app and you tap that and it’ll activate and ask for the Bluetooth and camera and you scan the QR code and then it will unlock the trolley for you. It’s assigned to that particular trolley that you unlocked. When you return it and lock it, the digital coin comes back to the app. It never costs you a cent. You’ve never parted with any money. You’ve just got an app.
If the trolley is abandoned and not returned and locked at one of the collection points, the customer will be notified that they have lost their free digital coin and will need to purchase one the next time they access a trolley, which will be $2. That $2 is then credited back when the trolley is successfully returned. “So this is about incentivising the customers to do the right thing.”
And the technology goes far beyond giving customers access to trolleys. “Where deployed, each trolley is also fitted with GPS tracking that displays on a map so the trolley collection teams can locate and recover them,” Ammendolia explained.
So far the trolley technology is being used on luggage trolleys at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, and the company has also rolled out sMart Track™ across Harris Farm Markets and other Australian retailers including Foodies Market IGA, who are grappling with how to better manage their trolley fleets. It is also being used at major centres in the UK including in Manchester, and an airport in the US.
“So now my goal is to get back in front of the Australian retailers and shake them up because there seems to be a slow uptake,” he added.
Ammendolia claims the new trolley technology could “solve up to 95 per cent” of the problems they currently face.
Major supermarkets including Coles and Woolworths have been trialling new trolley technology in recent years, including replacing wire trolleys with lighter carts made from recycled material. Coles and Woolworths have also experimented with so-called smart carts which allow shoppers to scan grocery items as they place them in trolleys, and simply pay the total amount at one of the special designated checkouts.
Coles called theirs Smart Trolleys which were developed with Instacart, and Woolworths labelled theirs Scan&Go. Although the rollout of these new programs seems to have stalled of late, with the major supermarkets instead focusing on building their e-commerce businesses which are focused on customers shopping online and then either collecting their orders or choosing to have them delivered to their doors.
Still, with the majority of Australian grocery shoppers preferring to shop in stores rather than online (approximately 85 per cent according to the ACCC), supermarket trolley technology remains big business for supermarkets and a major consideration when it comes to optimising customers’ in-store experiences.
That includes the cost of collecting trolleys that have been abandoned in shopping centres, car parks, or other locations.
“Trolley loss, collection costs and community impact remain largely unmanaged,” Ammendolia said.
“Over 90 per cent of users no longer carry coins, creating a direct barrier to trolley use and coin systems provide no visibility or accountability for retailers. Using app-based unlocking and real-time tracking removes friction for customers while giving operators full visibility and control of their assets.”
