Yesterday, Jan. 14, 2008, Microsoft, MediaCart and Wakefern
Food Corporation announced their plan to begin testing MediaCart’s computerized
shopping carts in Wakefern Food Corp.’s ShopRite supermarkets on the East Coast
in the second half of 2008.
If you have ever gotten to the supermarket only to realize
that you left your shopping list at home, you are not alone. ShopRite’s member program combined with the
MediaCart make forgetting your shopping list a woe of the past. ShopRite members will be able to log into
their accounts from home and upload their shopping lists. When members arrive at the store they will
select a cart, swipe their card and their grocery list will display automatically
in the cart.
The MediaCart shopping cart will also: compare prices,
locate products, display store specials for products located in the aisle the
cart is in, provide recipes and nutritional information, total the cost of the
items in the cart, and allow the member to checkout without standing in line. All of the features of the cart are designed
to enhance user experience, save time and create customer loyalty.
The MediaCart solution is built on Microsoft Windows CE and
Microsoft SQL Server; in addition, it utilizes Microsoft’s Atlas
technologies. Microsoft will provide
digital advertising to enable advertisers the ability to reach their target
market at their point-of-purchase.
Similar to the way that the club cards of today work, ShopRite card
members will be able to receive ads and promotional offers bases on their
purchase history. The major difference
being that ShopRite card members will be able to receive their coupons and promotional
material in the store while they are shopping based on their purchase history, grocery
list and where they are located in the store.
Advertisers utilizing Microsoft’s ad program through
MediaCart will receive reporting and analytics capabilities to assess the
performance of their ads in stores. The
data received by marketers and ShopRite will enable them to better understand
their target markets’ shopping patterns.
Consumer’s personal information will not be shared with
Microsoft, MediaCart or any other advertiser.
All parties are hopeful that the partnership between Microsoft, MediaCart
and Wakefern Food Corporation will provide consumers a better shopping
experience and give advertisers the ability to effectively get their message to
their target markets.
More information can be found on the MediaCart and Microsoft
websites.