Woolworths announces 'cool' new tech coming to aisles on TikTok
Woolworths has unveiled its “cool” new scanners on TikTok which are available to customers who shop using Scan&Go.
The new technology was revealed in a 15-second video, which was posted to Woolworths’ official TikTok account.
It features Woolies staffer, Liam Kirley, who talks users through how the high-tech scanner works.
“Cool Woolworths tech!” says Liam in the video, captioned: “All those who find this as fascinating as we do say, 'AI!'”
The video then cuts to Liam, who demonstrates how to use the futuristic artificial intelligence-based scanner to viewers by weighing radishes, bok choy and melon, which the scanner immediately identifies.
“We’ve got these produce AI scanners which are able to detect what type of fruit or vegetable you have on the scale, like the radishes or bok choy or melon,” says Liam, while demonstrating how the scanner predicts the type of produce.
“I decided to put my head on it and it came up with a watermelon,” jokes Liam at the end of the viral TikTok video.
Unsurprisingly, the video of the new technology has generated quite a lot of buzz online, amassing 95,300 views, 7273 likes and comments from excited customers.
“Wow. I hope they come to my local store,” wrote one person.
“OMG so cool. Love Woolworths!” wrote a second.
“Scan&Go is the best thing ever!” wrote a third user.
While another shopper pointed out that the TikTok video showed Woolworths West Lakes in Adelaide and said that the AI scanner was “awesome”.
How the Woolworths AI-enabled Scan&GO scanner works
The AI-based scale is designed for use with the supermarket’s Scan&Go contactless shopping feature, which is built into the Woolworths app.
Scan&Go allows customers to scan items with their phones as they roam the store and skip the queue by paying for them in the app, before checking out through a dedicated Scan&Go lane or kiosk upon exit.
Ben Garvan, Woolworths Head of Digital In-Store, said that the speed and convenience of Scan&Go has been popular with many shoppers across Australia.
“Scan&Go makes use of smart AI-enabled scales to help customers quickly and accurately add loose fruit and vegetable items to their in-app shopping cart," said Mr Garvan.
Scan&Go is offered alongside self-serve and manned checkouts in Woolworths stores – offering customers another option to pay in the way that works best for them.
Shoppers must be Everyday Rewards members to use Scan&Go and will need to upload an accepted credit or debit card within the app to use the Scan&Go scales.
“We're pleased to have had positive feedback from customers in the 36 stores we’ve launched Scan&Go in to date. We continue to look for opportunities to roll Scan&Go out to further stores,” he added.
However, Scan&Go is not being rolled out network-wide at the moment, meaning the AI scanners are not available in all stores.
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Viral TikTok shows Woolworths AI-based scale at work
Woolworths’ AI-based scanner recently made headlines when a shopper posted the video of the “genius” technology to TikTok.
The TikTok user, @scotty_mcdonald, shared the video from Woolworths Annerley in Brisbane, where he showed users how the AI-enabled scale worked using a sweet potato and several bananas.
“Organise yourself a day trip to Annerley for this one!” read the caption.
In the 15-second video, the shopper places a sweet potato on the scale, selects the loose item on the screen, and scans the barcode using the Woolworths app.
“The pay as you go scale at Woolies Annerley can work out what fruit or veg you put on it,” says a voiceover on the TikTok video.
The man shows the Woolworths scale not only weighing the items, but also accurately predicting that it is a sweet potato and bananas.
“Welcome robot shopping overlord,” says the voiceover.
Before concluding the video, saying: “It’s a genius!”
The video has since gone viral and gained hundreds of comments from excited shoppers who claimed the new technology was “cool” and “genius”.
“Finally, the future is now,” wrote one impressed shopper.
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