Weis Markets and Instacart Transform Shopping with AI

Weis Markets and Instacart: An Innovative Technological Collaboration

Weis Markets, a well-established supermarket chain in Pennsylvania, has decided to integrate Instacart's smart shopping carts, known as Caper Carts, into some of its stores. These revolutionary carts are equipped with advanced features such as digital coupons, loyalty programs, and personalized shopping recommendations, transforming the in-store shopping experience.

This initiative is part of a strategic partnership between Weis Markets and Instacart aimed at modernizing the customer experience. The Caper Carts are equipped with cameras, certified scales, location systems, and an interactive touchscreen, providing cutting-edge technology to consumers.

Advanced Technology Serving Consumers

Instacart's Caper Carts utilize a combination of sophisticated sensors to optimize the shopping experience. The integrated cameras, oriented both inward and outward, allow for precise item recognition. The certified scales and location tracking systems complement this technological setup, facilitating the payment process. This technology relies on edge computing and a cloud AI that has been trained by analyzing over 1.6 billion online grocery orders.

Thanks to the cart's touchscreen, customers can track their spending in real-time and access digital coupons based on their current location in the store.

Loyalty and Personalization at the Heart of the Experience

Weis Markets customers have the option to sign up for the Weis Rewards program directly through the smart cart, allowing them to benefit from loyalty perks during their shopping trips. Additionally, a Buy Again feature is available, displaying previously purchased items to facilitate repeat purchases.

This partnership between Weis and Instacart extends beyond smart carts. In 2023, the two companies joined forces to offer same-day delivery services from 133 locations across Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware.

Expansion of Caper Carts Across the United States

The introduction of Caper Carts at Weis Markets is part of a broader expansion strategy led by Instacart. Currently, these smart carts are being deployed in over 100 cities across 15 U.S. states.

Caper Carts are available in several supermarket chains, including Kroger, Schnucks, and Wakefern brands like ShopRite and Fairway Market. Usage data collected during previous deployments revealed that these carts accounted for over 10% of sales during peak days in certain stores, demonstrating their growing popularity.

Continuous Improvement of the Shopping Experience

Greg Zeh, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Weis Markets, emphasized that these smart carts are an integral part of the company's strategy to enhance the shopping experience. Features such as real-time expense tracking and access to digital coupons are key elements of this initiative.

David McIntosh, Director of Connected Stores at Instacart, explained that Caper Carts enable the merging of in-store and online shopping data, providing a more consistent and integrated customer experience.

AI Supporting Payment Operations at Weis

Weis Markets has also integrated artificial intelligence into its payment operations. In collaboration with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Weis has deployed the ELERA Security Suite in its self-checkout lanes, a system that uses edge AI to improve product recognition and prevent loss.

Since December 2025, this system has been operational in 199 Weis stores, with over 94% of customers utilizing the product recognition feature at self-checkouts.

AI Beyond Payments: The Example of Albertsons

Other retailers are also exploring the use of AI to enhance their operations. Albertsons Companies, for instance, has introduced an AI-based quality control tool for inspecting fresh products. This system, which utilizes computer vision, initially focuses on strawberries and grapes, aiming to improve the consistency of quality assessments.

Albertsons, which operates over 2,000 stores under brands such as Safeway, Jewel-Osco, and ACME, uses this tool to support its quality inspectors in distribution centers. Developed in-house, this tool relies on Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise platform, integrating Vision AI and Gemini models, with Google Cloud's expertise for the AI component.