Shoppers at Morrisons' Preston supermarket are now the first in the UK to push a trolley that knows what's inside before they reach the checkout. On July 28, 2026, Instacart, the North American grocery technology company, and Morrisons, one of Britain's largest supermarket chains, launched Caper smart trolleys at the store. It is Instacart's first retail partnership in the UK for its AI-powered carts, which bring the convenience and intelligence of online shopping directly into the aisle.
The trolleys use artificial intelligence to track items as they are added, allowing shoppers to see their total in real time and skip the traditional checkout. The launch comes as consumers increasingly seek technology that helps them shop more efficiently, stay on budget, and rediscover the joy of browsing the aisles, according to the companies.
“Instacart's AI smart trolleys launched at Morrisons Preston, first UK partnership for the grocery tech firm.”
Instacart, listed on Nasdaq as CART, has long dominated grocery delivery in the US but has been expanding its physical retail technology. The Preston rollout marks its first entry into the UK market with smart trolleys, though the company has partnerships with other global retailers abroad. Morrisons, which operates nearly 500 stores across the UK, has been testing in-store innovations to compete with discounters and online pure-plays.
The Caper smart trolleys are designed to eliminate one of the biggest friction points in grocery shopping: the queue. By scanning items via built-in sensors and cameras, the trolley accelerates the shopping process while giving customers a running tally. For the retailer, the technology promises better data on shopper behaviour and inventory accuracy.
Neither Instacart nor Morrisons disclosed financial terms or expansion plans beyond the Preston store. But the move signals a shift in how British supermarkets may compete with online-only rivals, as AI-driven carts could blur the line between digital and physical shopping. For now, shoppers in Preston are getting a glimpse of a future where the trolley itself becomes the checkout.