A touchscreen on the supermarket cart that knows which aisle it is in

Role: Solution architect. Designed and built the solution
Company: A product of Starnorte
Site: vivercart.com.br

3D animation of a supermarket cart with a touch screen on the handle — Animation of the ViverCart screen on a cart.

ViverCart fits a touchscreen to the handle of the carts a supermarket already owns. Sensors in the aisles tell the screen where it is, and the screen plays the video or the offer for that shelf. The store decides what plays in each aisle and can sell that space to the brands it stocks. I was the solution architect, and I designed and built ViverCart for Starnorte.

The problem

The customer makes the choice in front of the shelf, and until now the store had no way to speak to them there. Flyers and entrance posters reach everyone the same way, so the steak promotion shows up for someone choosing laundry soap. And the store had a hard time showing a supplier what its marketing money did.

The customer has questions in the aisle too. When a price tag is missing, they look for a price scanner or put the product back. And with no way to add up what is already in the cart, they find out the total at the checkout.

My role

I was the solution architect of ViverCart. I designed how the three pieces of software work together (the app on the cart screen, the customer app and the store panel) and how they use the hardware in the store, and I built them. ViverCart is a Starnorte product, developed in-house.

How it works in the store

A screen on the handle
A touchscreen with a protective case is mounted on the handle, at the eye level of whoever pushes the cart. The rest of the cart stays as it is.
Illustration. A regular store cart with the ViverCart screen on the handle.
Sensors mark the aisle
Small sensors installed in the aisles are recognised by the screen, so it knows where it is during the whole shopping trip without the customer doing anything.
The aisle's campaign starts
When the cart enters an aisle, the screen switches to the video or offer scheduled for it. If the store's internet goes down, the schedule keeps playing.
Illustration. Carts in an aisle, each screen showing that aisle's offer.
Illustration. A shopper choosing a product at the shelf.
The store runs it from the panel
In the web panel, the team schedules each aisle's campaigns by date, time and day of the week. The panel also counts how many times each campaign was shown.

What the customer and the store get

Price check on the cart

The screen's own camera reads the barcode. The customer hears a beep and sees the price, any promotion and the aisle of the product.

List and running total

Each product read goes into a list on the screen, and the screen adds up what is already in the cart.

Customer app

The customer builds shopping lists at home. When they take a cart, they scan the QR code on the screen and the list moves to the handle, sorted by aisle. ViverCart can also connect to the app the store's customers already use.

Store panel

Campaign scheduling, the number of times each campaign was shown, the battery of each screen and a heat map of the aisles carts pass through most.

Store branding

The screen and the app carry the store's logo and colours.

Who uses it

Shopper: uses the screen on the cart and the app.
Store team: schedules campaigns and follows displays, battery and the heat map in the panel.
Supplier or brand: buys video space in the aisle of its category and gets a display report.

Decisions and the reasons behind them

Use the carts the store already has.: A supermarket won't replace its carts to try a new idea. ViverCart mounts on the existing handle, so the money goes to the screens and sensors.
The screen knows the aisle.: A screen that shows the same thing everywhere is one more poster. Sensors in each aisle let the screen play the offer for the shelf in front of the customer.
Keep playing without internet.: Store connections fail. The schedule is kept on the screen, so a network drop doesn't leave the carts blank.
Count every display.: A brand pays for space in an aisle and wants proof. The panel counts each display, and that report sits on the table next to the in-store displays and the flyer when the store negotiates with suppliers.
The store keeps the relationship with advertisers.: Starnorte runs the technology. The store sells the space to its own suppliers, under its own brand.

Status

According to the ViverCart site, the cart screen, the store panel and the customer app are ready, with no custom development needed. The site doesn't name stores or say how many carts use it, and neither does this page.