While Prime Day deals flood our notifications, the retail team at Amazon announced a revamped Dash Cart with new conveniences and technology upgrades for shoppers to further enjoy the excitement that is purchasing groceries. The cart will also now be featured in select Whole Foods Market stores.
The most notable updates include the ability to carry more groceries, changes to the software on the touchscreen and that shoppers can now wheel the cart to their cars.
Customers at the Whole Foods Market store in Westford, Massachusetts, will be the first to test the new version. The Dash Carts were previously only available at the company’s Amazon Fresh grocery stores, which are currently only available in six states.
In the coming months, the new carts will expand to additional Whole Foods Market stores and Amazon Fresh stores across the U.S., giving more customers an opportunity to use the convenient shopping technology.
Not only did the Amazon team design a lighter cart, but it also has a larger capacity to carry four grocery bags instead of two. There is also a separate shelf for delicate items such as eggs and a lower shelf for oversized items like a 40-count pack of water bottles. So shoppers can use the Dash Cart regardless of if they want only a small number of items or if they’re planning for a barbecue with friends.
Amazon altered the software on the touchscreen in order to display images of nearby fresh fruit and produce. So instead of typing in a four-digit Price Look Up code located on the produce stickers, the shopper can simply type which item they want. The cart already had the ability to weigh produce directly in the basket to eliminate further steps of the checkout process.
The new Dash Cart will have extended battery life, and it is also weather-resistant, so shoppers can charge their carts less and take it all the way to their cars regardless of the weather conditions.
Also, the company’s software will be more precise about the location of the cart to better notify shoppers about deals.
Launched in 2020, the smart shopping cart eliminates the need to stand in checkout lines as users can sign into the Amazon or Whole Foods Market app and then use the AI-powered cameras near the handlebar of the Dash Cart to scan their items. Once the shopper is finished grabbing items, all they have to do is exit through the Amazon Dash Cart lane, and the credit card associated with their Amazon account gets charged for the groceries. The Dash Cart’s screen shows a real-time receipt of the items in the cart, and it gets emailed to them after they leave.
