A2Z's Smart Carts to Be Pilot Tested in Chedraui Location

Mexican retailer also runs El Super banners in Southwest U.S.

2/11/2022

The Cust2Mate smart cart will roll into a Chredraui store in Mexico city as part of a pilot program.

A2Z Smart Technologies, Inc. is partnering with Mexico-based retailer Chedraui to pilot its Cust2Mate smart shopping carts at a flagship store in Mexico City. In the United States, Chedraui operates El Super stores in California, New Mexico and Nevada; parent company Grupo Chedraui Comercial’s U.S. subsidiary, Bodega Latina, acquired Smart & Final in 2021.

The goal is to roll out Cust2Mate carts to more Chedraui-owned locations following the pilot, according to A2Z. The smart carts are designed to enhance customers’ shopping experience by recognizing every purchased item and enabling in-cart payment that avoids checkout lines. Computer vision technology is used to identify potentially challenging items like produce.

Grocers, in turn, can use the smart carts for marketing and promotional purposes and to help manage inventory. A2Z, which introduced the carts at the recent NRF Big Show in New York City, claims that the Cust2Mate technology helps cut down on shrinkage through the use of anti-fraud features.

“We are excited to have this opportunity to bring our Cust2Mate Smart Carts to Chedraui, a well-known and widely respected retailer,” said Rafael Yam, CEO of the Israel-based Cust2Mate. “As we continue to rollout our smart carts to an international audience, it is important that we give our retail partners, and their customers, the chance to experience in real-time how our carts contribute to a ‘frictionless’ in-store shopping journey, with in-cart payment that eliminates the need to wait in a long checkout line as well as easy access to in-store promotions and discounts. We look forward to the successful completion of our Mexico City pilot and we are optimistic about the opportunity to broaden our commitment to include smart cart launches at additional Chedraui locations.”

According to Cust2Mate, the carts are currently in place in four countries, including at Morton Williams Supermarkets in the New York City area. The mobile point-of-sale carts can accommodate seven languages.