Impact of in-store technology on the consumer shopping process – a field experiment with a smart cart

Abstract

An in-store experiment in a Finnish supermarket was conducted to measure the impact of a smart cart device on the consumer shopping process. The experiment consisted of research subjects choosing five previously determined products displayed on the smart cart. A control group completed the same shopping process with products described on a traditional shopping list. The length of the shopping process and the time to choose the determined products were measured in real time with Tobii eye tracker glasses for both groups. Also the user experience of the device was investigated after the completion of the shopping process. The results indicate that the smart cart device had a minor impact on the consumer shopping process. However, the participants’ positive evaluations of the device indicate that in-store technologies have the potential to impact the shopping process positively and thus shape new types of interactions.