Instacart has announced the purchase of Caper Inc. in a cash and stock transaction valued at $350 million. Caper has developed a shopping cart to enable customers to select and scan items to avoid checkout lines.  The Caper cart uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to scan products and includes an integral scale and is capable of maintaining a running tally of items selected.  Payment can be made directly from the cart for items selected.

Instacart consider that the Caper smart cart is integral to a seamless online shopping experience and also will expedite the efficiency of personal shoppers for click-and-collect fulfillment of orders.

On commenting on the acquisition, Fidji Simo the CEO of Instacart stated, "We are thrilled to welcome the Caper team to Instacart.  We share the same goal of equipping retailers with innovative technologies that help them succeed in an increasingly competitive industry". 

It is understood that Kroger has tested the Caper smart cart.  Amazon Fresh introduced their own smart cart that interacts with store installations including scanners and just-walk-out payment.