In January, MediaCart Holdings, Microsoft and Wakefern Food Corporation announced that Wakefern would roll out MediaCart's next-generation computerized shopping carts in its ShopRite stores, after tests provided insights from consumers and retailers that were then incorporated into the product.
ShopRite operates 200 stores located throughout New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware and employs more than 47,000 people.
According to a joint release from the companies, Microsoft's Atlas Division will provide video ad serving on the MediaCart grocery cart screen, allowing advertisers to reach shoppers at the point of purchase and providing customers with a more personalized shopping experience.
"In working with companies like MediaCart, we're continuing to push the envelope in the digital advertising realm to enable new and innovative ways for advertisers and agencies to create brand loyalty and engage with their target audiences in a highly relevant, measurable and targeted way," Scott Ferris, general manager of the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft, said. "Digital advertising opportunities are expanding rapidly into new areas, as many of consumers' daily activities, such as shopping, become increasingly connected, and Microsoft is committed to working with advertisers and agencies to take advantage of these opportunities as they unfold."
The MediaCart reportedly uses Microsoft technologies to enable anonymous ad targeting through information obtained through ShopRite's customer loyalty card program. In this application, shoppers scan their card on the MediaCart and receive ads and promotional offers based on past purchases or saved shopping lists that could be uploaded from a home PC.
The companies claim that no personally identifiable information will be shared as part of the ad serving process, and that the technology will provide advertisers with reporting and analytics capabilities that allow them to assess each store's advertising performance.
MediaCart-equipped shopping carts allow shoppers to perform comparative price checks, locate products in the store, view store specials in aisle as they shop, see recipes and nutritional information, shop with an electronic shopping list presented in aisle order, total the cost of the items in their baskets before checkout, and expedite the checkout process using the cart-level checkout feature.
"Through the powerful combination of Microsoft and MediaCart, we are providing our customers with a cutting-edge shopping experience unmatched in the industry," said Joseph Colalillo, chairman and CEO of Wakefern. "This is an exciting step in our ongoing commitment to meet and exceed the needs of our shoppers and stores."
In addition to Microsoft's Atlas technologies, the MediaCart also is built on Microsoft Windows CE and Microsoft SQL Server. The system reads the precise location of the shopping cart in the store based on Wi-Fi triangulation and incorporates relevant shopping history and demographic data to drive pertinent communications at the point-of-purchase.
MediaCart benefits retailers by integrating point-of-sale systems to increase customer loyalty while capturing a new revenue stream from advertisements and promotions targeting individual shoppers.
While there have been no reports of adult retail operators using the MediaCart system, the ability to directly target individual consumers at the point of purchase is compelling, and the multimedia potential of these systems is considerable.
For example, an adult video store could employ such a technology to find which genres a customer prefers and then stream a teaser of the latest in-stock release as the customer nears its position in the store, while showing other special offers when he was in another area of the store.
The possibility of baskets with card-swiping capabilities eliminating lost sales due to customer embarrassment over walking up to the check-out clerk with a collection of "extreme" titles is also something to consider.
Regardless of the application, however, the lesson of the MediaCart transcends the offline shopping experience to show how dedication to the needs of customers and innovative thinking in the ways that offers are targeted and presented to them can increase sales and boost loyalty. These same principles can be employed by e-commerce merchants seeking increased revenues and retention too.
