Instacart (NASDAQ: CART) and Morrisons have launched Caper smart trolleys at Morrisons' Preston supermarket in England, marking Instacart's first UK retail deployment of the AI-powered shopping trolley, according to a press release from the companies.

The trolleys automatically recognize items placed inside, weigh fresh produce, and display a running basket total on a touchscreen. Shoppers can scan their Morrisons More Card loyalty card on the trolley to access savings and promotions. At checkout, customers scan a barcode displayed on the trolley's screen at a dedicated payment lane.

Morrisons describes the Preston rollout as an in-store trial. The supermarket chain operates approximately 500 stores and employs around 95,000 people across the UK.

Instacart cited research conducted by Researchscape International on its behalf, finding that 54% of UK consumers say they enjoy discovering products they were not originally seeking, while 53% report having passed on groceries due to budget concerns, and 46% cite loyalty programs as their preferred budgeting tool.

Caper smart trolleys are currently deployed in more than 100 cities across the US and Australia with retailers including Kroger, Wakefern Food Corp., Schnucks, and Coles. Instacart reported net promoter scores above 70 at those locations.

"We're proud to be the first UK retailer to bring this technology to our customers, and we look forward to seeing how shoppers in Preston and across Lancashire respond to this innovative new trolley in this in-store trial," said Gordon Macpherson, Productivity Director at Morrisons.

The Caper trolley is part of Instacart's Connected Stores product suite, which the company describes as tools designed to help grocers integrate online and in-store shopping experiences.