Instacart’s Caper Cart adds AI-enabled rewards and personalized ads, but implementation costs remain high

The news: Instacart’s AI-powered cashierless Caper Cart technology added gamification and rewards features this week, along with a smart advertising system.

  • The product could avoid the same infrastructure issues that have limited expansion of Amazon’s Just Walk Out through its in-cart tech, rather than a reliance on store cameras.
  • Caper Carts use an AI algorithm to give targeted ads to shoppers, location tracking tech to show customers discounts and coupons depending on which aisle they’re in, and gamified quests that reward shoppers for repeat visits and using personalized coupons.