UK supermarket chain Morrisons is deploying smart shopping trolleys from Californian retail tech company Instacart.

The AI-powered Caper Carts will become available starting in early 2026 at one Morrisons store, with the potential for a further rollout. This marks Instacart’s first retail partnership in the UK.

Caper Carts let customers scan items as they shop, track their running total in real time, and check out seamlessly. The trolleys have interactive screens, built-in scales and AI-powered sensors that guide customers through scanning and placing items directly into the basket, including weighing fresh produce directly in the trolley.

As items are scanned, the trolley identifies them instantly, helping customers keep track of their spending and move through the store at their own pace. To complete their purchase, they simply scan the barcode displayed on the trolley’s screen at the store’s self-checkout area.

For Morrisons customers, the smart trolleys are integrated with the Morrisons More Card loyalty programme, delivering added savings and convenience during their trip.

“As we continue to expand internationally, we’re thrilled to partner with Morrisons to bring Caper Carts to the UK for the first time,” said David McIntosh, chief connected stores officer at Instacart (www.instacart.com). “Shopping is no longer solely online or in-store, it’s a hybrid of both, and Caper Carts offer a seamless way to combine the convenience and personalisation of ecommerce with the inspiration and discovery that happens in physical stores. Retailers like Morrisons are transforming the in-store shopping experience with new technologies such as Caper Carts that help customers shop faster, easier and in more inspiring ways while deepening loyalty along the way.”

Caper Carts are fully-integrated smart trolleys that enable retailers such as Morrisons to deliver a more seamless, hyper-personalised shopping experience. As part of Instacart’s Connected Stores suite, they bridge the convenience of online shopping with the familiarity of browsing in-store.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to bring innovation to the weekly shop to enhance the experience for our customers, and the cutting-edge technology of Caper Carts brings the best of digital and physical retail together in-store,” said Gordon Macpherson, productivity director of Morrisons. “We’re excited about bringing the first fully-integrated AI-powered trolleys in the UK to a first store soon, and look forward to testing customer response and building understanding of how the technology works within the Morrisons store estate.”

Caper Carts (www.caper.ai) are now deployed in nearly 100 cities across 15 states, including major retailers such as Coles, Kroger, Schnucks and Wakefern. With a digital screen that can surface personalised deals, suggest product pairings and serve as a retail media touchpoint right in the aisle, the trolleys not only enhance the customer experience but also unlock opportunities for monetisation and incremental basket growth for retailers.

Morrisons (www.morrisons-corporate.com) has a history that dates back to 1899 when William Morrison first opened an egg and butter stall in Bradford. Today, it has around 500 supermarkets and 1700 convenience stores. It employs around 95,000 people.

• Instacart has announced a partnership with Vroom Delivery (www.vroomdelivery.com), an ecommerce platform for convenience stores, to bring Instacart Carrot Ads (www.instacart.com/company/retailer-platform/carrot-ads) to its network of 3500 convenience stores in the USA.